Readout: Foreign Secretary meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister
Foreign Secretary David Lammy met Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi, in Beijing today.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy met Foreign Minister of the People바카라 사이트™s Republic of China, Wang Yi, in Beijing today (18 October).
The Foreign Secretary set out that as fellow Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, it is a necessity that the UK and China increase bilateral engagement. He made clear that, as global players, both countries have an obligation to work together to find pragmatic solutions to complex challenges.Â
Areas of pragmatic, mutually beneficial cooperation were clear. This included working together on achieving the global green transition; making greater efforts on development and global health; and the safe use of AI. The Foreign Secretary reiterated his commitment to promoting secure and resilient growth through increased trade and investment which creates jobs, drives innovation, boosts productivity and provides economic stability and certainty for the UK economy. They agreed that the UK and China can support both countries바카라 사이트™ growth objectives, with China as the world바카라 사이트™s second largest economy and the UK바카라 사이트™s 4th largest trading partner.
The Foreign Secretary also raised a number of foreign policy and security matters, including Russia바카라 사이트™s war in Ukraine, where he stated how both the UK and China have a shared interest in European peace and ending the war. He reaffirmed that concerns over China바카라 사이트™s supply of equipment to Russia바카라 사이트™s military industrial complex risks damaging China바카라 사이트™s relationships with Europe whilst helping to sustain Russia바카라 사이트™s war. The Foreign Secretary urged Wang Yi to take all measures to investigate and to prevent Chinese companies from supplying Russia바카라 사이트™s military. The Foreign Ministers agreed to continue to discuss this and other broader foreign policy issues, such as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Human Rights were discussed, including in Xinjiang, and the Foreign Secretary referenced this as an area which the UK and China must engage, even where viewpoints diverge. Hong Kong is a shared interest, and the Foreign Secretary raised serious concerns around the implementation of the National Security Law and the ongoing treatment of British national Jimmy Lai, again calling for his release.Â
The meeting was constructive across the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, from areas of pragmatic cooperation to issues of contention. Both the Foreign Secretary and Foreign Minister agreed that maintaining channels of communication was essential and committed to holding regular discussions across their respective governments at Ministerial level.
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