LONDON (Reuters) -British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Friday he had “made plain” Britain’s views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan in a meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng during the latter’s visit to London for King Charles’ coronation.
“Today with VP Han Zheng, I made plain the UK’s views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan,” Cleverly said on Twitter. “We also discussed working together on climate change, economic ties and people-to-people links.”
The rare meeting between senior government officials from Britain and China comes during a low point in relations.
London has restricted Chinese investment over national security worries and expressed concern at Beijing’s increasing military and economic assertiveness.
In a speech in London last week, Cleverly urged China to be more open about what he called the biggest military build-up in peacetime history, and said Britain should engage constructively with China despite its “revulsion” over the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
A host of foreign dignitaries and heads of state are visiting London for Charles’s coronation on Saturday, and British ministers are using the opportunity to hold meetings with foreign leaders.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, writing by Sachin Ravikumar)
