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Fan Chen

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is visiting China this week, signalling a further easing in ties following a summit earlier this year.
Cooper will meet her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and Vice-President Han Zheng on Tuesday, Reuters quoted the British government as saying on Sunday.
Among the topics on the agenda are the Strait of Hormuz, the Russia-Ukraine war and the Ebola outbreak in Africa, the report said.


Cooper will then head to the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen on Wednesday before travelling to India on Thursday.
Beijing confirmed on Sunday that Cooper would visit from Monday to Wednesday.
It follows Keir Starmer’s visit to China in January, the first by a British prime minister since 2018.
During the trip, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a “new chapter” in ties, and the two leaders vowed to deepen dialogue and cooperation and develop a long-term strategic partnership.
Ties between Beijing and London were locked for years in what Starmer described as an “ice age” frozen by disputes over China’s proposed “super-embassy” in London, British warnings regarding Chinese espionage and the conviction of former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying.
The visit in January marked a reset in bilateral relations and Starmer announced several deals with Beijing, including visa-free entry to China for British citizens for up to 30 days and an agreement to study the feasibility of entering negotiations about a bilateral services agreement.
The two also struck some 10 trade deals, with Beijing agreeing to lower import tariffs on Scotch whisky over the next five years.
Most recently, during talks on Friday on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, a major security conference in Singapore, the two sides discussed concrete plans to improve military engagement.
However, a new point of friction could test those ties.
Earlier this month, Beijing urged London to “think twice before acting” and “make prudent decisions” over plans to nationalise Chinese-owned British Steel.
The British government seized operational control of the steel manufacturer in April last year to protect local jobs, while Chinese group Jingye retained its ownership.
Starmer said recently that London could fully nationalise it under his proposed plans.


China has called on the British government to maintain the “hard-earned positive atmosphere of China-UK economic and trade relations”, adding that China would closely monitor the developments and take strong measures to defend the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.
Wang underlined that message when he met Cooper on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in February, when he said China hoped Britain would provide a “fair, just and non-discriminatory” business environment for Chinese firms.


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British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will visit China from Monday to Wednesday, including a trip to Shenzhen, before heading to India. Photo: EPA

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits the Forbidden City during his visit to China on January 29.  Starmer has pursued a reset in China-UK relations, hoping that Beijing’s economic clout can bolster his country’s sluggish economy. Photo: Pool via Reuters

Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to Labour Party members at a church hall in west London on Friday. Photo: AP

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Diplomacy

Announcement comes days after delegations from both countries sat down at Shangri-La Dialogue to discuss concrete military engagement


Announcement comes days after delegations from both countries sat down at Shangri-La Dialogue to discuss concrete military engagement.


In sign of easing UK-China ties, British Foreign Secretary set for talks, tech hub visit

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Announcement comes days after delegations from both countries sat down at Shangri-La Dialogue to discuss concrete military engagement

Announcement comes days after delegations from both countries sat down at Shangri-La Dialogue to discuss concrete military engagement