U.K. Foreign Secretary Visits China in Bid to Reset Relations

Britain’s foreign secretary, David Lammy, is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Friday on a two-day visit aimed at resetting and smoothing ties with China while acknowledging differences between the two countries over issues including human rights and the war in Ukraine.

Mr. Lammy is set to meet with the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Friday before traveling to Shanghai for meetings with British business leaders that have operations there.

Ahead of the visit, the British government said the foreign secretary would urge China to curtail its political and economic support of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

“Engagement with China is pragmatic and necessary to support U.K. and global interests,” said Mr. Lammy in remarks released ahead of his arrival. “From stopping Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, to supporting a global green transition, we must speak often and candidly across both areas of contention as well as areas for cooperation in the U.K.’s national interest.”

In a statement, the British government said it recognized that there were “significant differences including on democratic values and freedoms, Hong Kong and support for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.” But it added that there were also “shared interests, including a global green energy transition, and deep economic links with China.”

British officials see the visit as an attempt to re-engage with China after a period under a series of Conservative governments that was marked by several sharp changes of tone.