The British finance minister’s plans to visit China next month may be the latest signal that the Labour Party wants to take a pragmatic approach that balances economic ties with concerns over security and human rights, analysts have said.
One said it may also be a way of “testing the waters” about whether this approach towards Beijing will work.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ delegation will also include leading financial figures, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The visit is also expected to restart a platform for economic and financial dialogue between the two countries which last met in 2019, and the talks are likely to cover issues such as capital markets, financial regulation, connectivity between financial and bond markets as well as clean energy.
Reeves will be the most senior British government figure to visit China since Foreign Secretary David Lammy in October. The following month Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged to be “a predictable and pragmatic partner” when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Brazil.
Starmer said his approach would be rooted in Britain’s national interest but he wanted to deepen the trade relationship between the two countries.
