UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan will begin a multi-stop visit to China on Friday to further and protect British interests.
The Minister will be visiting Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as Shanghai and Tianjin – holding meetings with the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as engagements with a cross section of society including UK businesses, academics, journalists and civil society.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan will be raising topics across the breadth of the UK-China relationship, including the importance of cooperation on global issues such as ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, helping to restore stability in the Middle East and tackling climate change. China is the world’s largest investor in sustainable energy and the largest emitter of carbon, demonstrating the importance of engaging with them on such topics.
The Minister will also raise areas of concern, including human rights in Xinjiang and Tibet, and the erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.
Minister for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan said:
We need China to play a constructive role in the biggest foreign policy issues of the day like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.
In Hong Kong, I will raise concerns on the passage and implementation of national security laws as well as discussing our important trade links. In Beijing I will be clear about our right to act when China breaks its international commitments or violates human rights.
I will also look to strengthen UK-China cooperation on issues across the world that affect us all – from improving AI safety to tackling climate change.
It is right we have discussions face to face and raise these issues directly with the centre of the Chinese system, making clear the UK’s position with the decision-makers in Beijing and Hong Kong.
Background
The UK takes a multifaceted approach to China over three pillars, which are set out in the Integrated Review Refresh:
- first, to protect national security whenever the Chinese Communist Party poses a threat to UK people or prosperity
- second, to align cooperation with friends and allies in the Indo-Pacific and across the world to uphold international law, and
- third, to engage directly with China to promote stable relations
Robust action has been taken to protect UK interests and values, including creating new powers to block any Chinese investment that risks national security, and the new powers in the National Security Act will help ensure that the UK remains the hardest operating environment for malign activity.
