Lammy raises human rights concerns in ‘constructive’ talks with China

Both sides stressed the need for ‘pragmatic’ engagement during the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Beijing.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy, right, and British Ambassador to China Caroline Wilson arrive to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, Oct. 18, 2024

David Lammy pressed his Chinese counterpart on human rights concerns and Beijing’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during talks in Beijing, the Foreign Office has said.

The Foreign Secretary had been under pressure to take a tough line on a range of human rights issues with foreign minister Wang Yi when the pair met on Friday during Mr Lammy’s first visit to China since taking office.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the Foreign Office described the encounter as “constructive”, noting Mr Lammy raised “a number of foreign policy and security matters” including Chinese companies supplying equipment to the Russian military and the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

It added that human rights “were discussed”, including relating to alleged mistreatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang, in China’s far west, and the ongoing detention of British national Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.

David Lammy, left, sits with a British delegation across the table from Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and other officials during a meeting in Beijing. The British and Chinese flags hang in the background. — Both strides stressed the need for ‘pragmatic co-operation’ (Florence Lo/Pool Photo/AP)

But the statement made no direct reference to Taiwan. Earlier in the week, China held large-scale military exercises surrounding the island which Sir Keir Starmer described as “not conducive to peace and stability”.

Speaking before travelling to China, Mr Lammy had said it was important to speak “candidly” about “both areas of contention as well as areas for cooperation in the UK’s national interest”.

But the Government has distanced itself from comments Mr Lammy made while in opposition in which he suggested actions against the mainly Muslim Uighur group should be declared a genocide.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said on Thursday that such decisions were for “competent courts”, adding: “We stand firm on human rights and we’ve been very clear that China continues to persecute and arbitrarily detain the Uighurs and other predominantly Muslim minorities.”

Along with human rights and security concerns, the statement said Mr Lammy raised a number of areas for “pragmatic, mutually beneficial co-operation” with Beijing.

These included the transition to green energy, international development, global health, the safe use of AI and promoting “secure and resilient growth” through trade and investment.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy, right, and Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang shake hands before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday, Oct. 18, 2024 — David Lammy also met Chinese vice-premier Ding Xuexiang in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People (Florence Lo/Pool Photo/AP)

During his visit to Beijing, Mr Lammy also met with Ding Xuexiang, the most senior of China’s vice-premiers and a close associate of President Xi Jinping.

According to a statement by the Chinese government, Mr Ding said China was “ready to work with the UK” to create “a more stable and mutually beneficial” relationship, and also stressed the need for “pragmatic co-operation”.

Mr Lammy is now expected to travel to Shanghai to hold talks with British businesses on economic links between the UK and China.

His visit is the second by a British foreign secretary in two years, following a trip by James Cleverly in August 2023. That visit marked a slight thaw in UK-Chinese relations, with Mr Cleverly becoming the first foreign secretary to visit the country since 2018.

He too had stressed the need for a “pragmatic” relationship with Beijing, but also raised concerns about human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang