James Cleverly said that the UK was ‘clear-eyed’ that China would not change ‘overnight’.
James Cleverly said that the UK was “clear-eyed” that China would not change “overnight”, as he met senior officials in Beijing in a visit aimed at easing tensions with the Asian power.
He also insisted the visit would allow him to have “tough conversations” with the Chinese on issues including repression in Hong Kong, and human rights abuses in Xinjiang province. “We are clear-eyed about the areas where we have fundamental disagreements with China. And I raise those issues when we meet.“But I think it’s important, we also recognise that we have to have a pragmatic, sensible working relationship with China, because of the issues that affects us all around the globe.”
In the first visit by a UK foreign secretary to China for five years, Mr Cleverly told him they will “address the challenges and differences of opinion that all countries have in bilateral relations”.
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