Beijing, China—Brtain’s Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will visit China Wednesday, Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
During the visit “the two sides will have in-depth communication on China-UK relations and on international and regional issues of shared concern”, ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a regular briefing.
“It is hoped that the UK side will work alongside China in upholding a spirit of mutual respect, conduct in-depth exchanges, enhance understanding, and promote the stable development of China-UK relations,” he added.
“As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major economies in the world, China and the UK shoulder the common responsibility of promoting world peace, stability and development.”
The visit was initially expected to take place in July, but was postponed due to the mysterious disappearance of Beijing’s now ex-foreign minister Qin Gang.
Cleverly will become the first British foreign secretary to visit China in more than five years, following Jeremy Hunt’s trip in 2018.
Since then relations between the UK and China have soured over a number of issues, including human rights, tech and Beijing’s crackdown in the former British colony of Hong Kong.
In July, China accused the UK of giving protection to fugitives after Cleverly slammed Hong Kong’s decision to offer bounties for information leading to the capture of prominent democracy activists based overseas.
And on Sunday evening, state-backed nationalist tabloid Global Times demanded that the British Museum “return Chinese cultural relics for free”, setting off a domestic social media firestorm.
Hawkish elements in Britain’s ruling Conservative party have urged London to take a tougher stance on China.
But Cleverly has called for a pragmatic, constructive and united Western approach to China’s rising clout, acknowledging the need to work in partnership with Beijing.