Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the rules-based international order is in Britain and China's 'shared interest' as she met Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng for talks on global security during a three-day visit to Asia. Speaking in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, Cooper acknowledged 'areas of disagreement' between London and Beijing but insisted that approaching discussions with 'candour and respect' would help increase mutual understanding.
Han Zheng hailed a 'new chapter in bilateral ties' opened during Sir Keir Starmer's visit to China in January. Cooper, on her first visit to the country, said as two permanent members of the UN Security Council, the UK and China must work together to address global challenges, citing wars in Ukraine and Iran and health crises like Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 'It is in our shared interest to have a rules-based international order and to find ways to reduce rising geoeconomic tensions,' she said.
China's relationship with Russia is expected to be raised during bilateral talks lasting several hours. Cooper said: 'We will have important issues of shared interest and cooperation and also areas of disagreement, but as the Prime Minister and President Xi have demonstrated, we increase our understanding of one another when we approach these conversations with candour and respect.' She added that 'frank and constructive discussions can help us make meaningful progress for the benefit of our two countries and the wider world.'
Han Zheng said an 'important consensus' had been reached during Starmer's visit, agreeing to move forward with a 'comprehensive strategic dialogue' for deepening cooperation. 'We need to intensify interactions and strengthen dialogue and cooperation for the sake of world peace and stability and for the growth of our respective economies,' he said. Critics have pressured Labour to take a harder line on Beijing over issues including the treatment of the Uighur population and the imprisonment of British citizen Jimmy Lai, which Cooper is likely to raise.
Despite efforts to thaw what Starmer has dubbed a diplomatic 'ice age', the Foreign Office delegation are travelling with 'burner' phones due to ongoing concerns over Chinese espionage. Cooper later visited the Forbidden City and met her counterpart Wang Yi for further talks. She will fly to Shenzhen to discuss trade links and AI challenges, before travelling to Delhi to meet Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday.
