TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The UK aims to reset relations with China, as its top diplomats met in Beijing on Friday (Oct. 18) to discuss various issues, including Taiwan.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) during a two-day trip. According to the British Foreign Office, the visit “is a reflection of the consistent, strategic and pragmatic approach the UK government will take to managing the UK’s relations with China – cooperating where we can, competing where we need to, and challenging where we must.”
The two diplomats discussed “a number of foreign policy and security matters,” including Chinese companies supplying equipment to Russia, the conflict in the Middle East, and “Hong Kong, areas like Taiwan, areas like human rights in Xinjiang.”
Lammy emphasized that the UK’s position on Taiwan remains unchanged under the Labour administration. He also expressed concern about “some of the tensions that we see in the Taiwan Strait because that is not in the interests of the global community.”
The Guardian reported last week that the British Foreign Office asked former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to delay her UK trip to avoid upsetting Beijing and complicating Lammy’s meetings.
Lammy also met with UK business leaders in Shanghai. “I've been speaking to British industry, and it's important to remember that 95% of that business is not in areas that pertain to national security,” he said. “Of course, there are areas of national security interests, and we will always put those first, but what people also want is consistency—what business wants is stability and clarity.”
The UK’s approach toward China has shifted over the past decade. Once aspiring to be China's greatest European supporter, London became a vocal critic over human rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, as well as espionage allegations.
Under the new Labour government, the UK seeks to stabilize relations with China. “UK policy in the past under the last government was not consistent, and what I’m hearing is that we need consistency in our approach,” Lammy noted.
While aiming to strengthen trade ties, Lammy faces pressure to take a firm stance on human rights. “I was able to have dialogue with the Chinese on areas where we disagree,” he added.
After the meeting, Wang described UK-China relations as being “at a new starting point,” adding that “competition among major powers should not be the backdrop of this era.”