After the US, UK Foreign Secretary Visits China for the First Time in 5 Years... "Attempt to Improve Relations"

Following the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China, James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, an allied country, will visit China at the end of July. This marks the first visit by a British Foreign Secretary to China in five years since Jeremy Hunt in 2018.

On the 14th (local time), major foreign media outlets reported, citing anonymous sources, that Secretary Cleverly is in discussions regarding his visit to China. A spokesperson for the UK Prime Minister's Office stated, "We cannot speculate on ministerial travel schedules," but confirmed, "Our stance on China aligns with our closest allies, and Secretary Blinken is scheduled to visit China within days."

In his annual trade speech last April, Foreign Secretary Cleverly unusually focused solely on China, emphasizing that "attempts to isolate China are a mistake and contrary to national interests."

Around the same time, he also stressed in an interview with the UK Guardian that close relations with China are necessary. In that interview, he said, "When defining China, it is not a matter of choosing between threat and opportunity; we should avoid black-and-white thinking and adopt a more sophisticated and nuanced approach."

He added, "Slamming the shutters on relations with China benefits no one," emphasizing, "China will continue on its path regardless of whether we engage with it or not."

However, he took a firm stance on the Taiwan Strait issue. He stated, "I completely disagree with (French President Emmanuel Macron's) view that the Taiwan Strait issue is a domestic matter," and stressed, "A conflict-free Taiwan Strait benefits everyone in the world, and the UK is not a vassal state of any country."

James Cleverly, UK Foreign Secretary.
Photo by AFP Yonhap News

Foreign media analyzed this by saying, "Secretary Cleverly's visit to China signals progress in attempts to improve bilateral relations." The atmosphere within the UK, which had been at the forefront of anti-China forces in Europe, has somewhat changed since Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister last fall. Prime Minister Sunak has stated that the golden era of bilateral relations is over and defines China as a 'systemic challenger,' limiting national security threats from China while seeking to maintain relations in areas such as trade and climate change.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.