UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has concluded a three-day diplomatic mission to China and India, using talks with senior leaders in both countries to advance British security, economic
and technology interests amid rising global tensions.
The visit, which included meetings with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, focused on a range of international challenges including maritime security, the war in Ukraine, artificial intelligence and supply chain resilience.
Cooper said the United Kingdom must remain actively engaged with major global powers rather than retreat from difficult international conversations. She argued that maintaining dialogue with key countries is essential to protecting British interests, supporting economic growth and strengthening national security.
Focus on global security in China
The Foreign Secretary began her trip in Beijing, where discussions with Chinese leaders centred on international stability and geopolitical security.
During talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice President Han Zheng, Cooper stressed the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz without tolls or restrictions, preventing nuclear proliferation in Iran and maintaining stability across the Middle East. She also called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and urged Beijing to end economic support that contributes to Russia's war effort.
The two sides also discussed efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and the international response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
While in China, the UK announced a new partnership between Prudential plc and the National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) to establish healthy ageing hubs across the country. Officials said the initiative would promote British expertise in healthcare innovation while creating new commercial opportunities for UK life sciences companies.
Cooper later travelled to Shenzhen, where she met business leaders, investors and technology firms. Discussions focused on attracting investment to the UK and promoting international cooperation on artificial intelligence. The Foreign Secretary highlighted the need for common global standards on AI safety and security as emerging technologies continue to develop rapidly.
Deepening strategic cooperation with India
The second leg of the visit took Cooper to New Delhi, where talks focused on maritime security, economic resilience and strengthening critical supply chains.
Meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, she reinforced commitments under the UK-India Vision 2035 partnership framework and discussed cooperation to address disruptions caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A key outcome of the visit was the launch of the Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence (RMSCE), a joint initiative designed to enhance UK-India collaboration on maritime security and improve resilience against global economic shocks.
Critical minerals, increasingly viewed as essential for technologies ranging from electric vehicles and renewable energy systems to consumer electronics, also featured prominently in discussions.
Alongside India's Minister for Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy, Cooper launched the Critical Minerals Global Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO), an artificial intelligence-powered platform that provides real-time monitoring of global mineral supply chains and identifies potential vulnerabilities.
The observatory forms part of the UK-India Technology Security Initiative. India will contribute £1.2 million to establish a satellite observatory campus at the Indian Institute of Technology in Dhanbad in partnership with the University of Cambridge.
The visit reflects the UK's broader strategy of deepening engagement with major international partners while addressing shared challenges in security, trade, technology and global stability.
Speaking on economic security, the Foreign Secretary said on the visit:
“We are strengthening our economic partnerships, and we’re also strengthening our security partnerships; on maritime security, and on AI security. We are doing a lot of joint work together because they’re the biggest powers in the world - the UK has to engage with the biggest powers.
We’re going to be engaging with governments that have different views from us on things. But we can also engage with, work with, and strengthen partnerships with countries at the same time as talking through and engaging on those disagreements”. Photo by UK Government, Wikimedia commons.
