David Lammy, the U.K. Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs, will visit China from Thursday to Friday, invited by Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs, as announced by spokesperson Mao Ning on Thursday.
Mao highlighted that this will be the first visit to China by a U.K. Cabinet minister under the new government. The visit will involve in-depth discussions on implementing agreements made during the leaders' phone conversation in August, building strategic trust, and enhancing cooperation across various sectors.
China and the U.K., as permanent members of the UN Security Council and major global economies, are important partners. Mao emphasized China's willingness to work with the U.K. to foster mutual benefits, promote open cooperation, and ensure the steady growth of their bilateral relationship.
Li Guanjie, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies, suggested that the U.K. might use this visit to reassess its China policy. He noted that the Labour government may aim to correct the inconsistencies in the U.K.'s China policy over the last decade, seeing the visit as an opportunity to improve ties with Beijing and reset its diplomatic priorities.
Following a period of ups and downs, both nations are keen to rebuild political trust. Experts believe discussions will likely focus on economic cooperation and trade.
While the new Labour government is reportedly seeking to take a less confrontational approach towards China and to resume trade and investment negotiations, it will still need to balance the influence of the Conservative Party, according to Cui Hongjian, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University.
For relations between China and the U.K. to normalize, Cui noted that the Keir Starmer administration must clearly distinguish its China policy from that of the previous Conservative government and take a more pragmatic and balanced approach.
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