Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called for “more diplomacy” in the UK’s approach to China, emphasizing the importance of dialogue while reaffirming that national security will always come

first. During his first official visit to the country, Lammy noted that previous governments had not maintained sufficient contact with Beijing, particularly on critical issues like human rights.

Lammy’s visit included meetings with Chinese Deputy Premier Ding Xuexiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, where they discussed cooperation opportunities alongside UK concerns about the treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, the detention of British citizen Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong, and Chinese military actions near Taiwan.

Speaking to reporters in Shanghai, Lammy stressed the need to rebuild communication channels: “It’s only through dialogue that we can achieve better understanding and bring about change,” he said. He characterized these meetings as the "beginning of a process" and emphasized the value of diplomatic engagement, especially in addressing contentious issues like human rights and regional stability.

Lammy is the second UK Foreign Secretary to visit China in just over a year, following James Cleverly's 2023 trip. However, prior to these recent visits, diplomatic relations had become strained, with no foreign secretary traveling to Beijing since Jeremy Hunt in 2018. Lammy criticized the previous government’s handling of China relations as "inconsistent."

He underscored the importance of a stable, clear approach: “What people want is consistency. What businesses want is stability and clarity, and that’s what the UK government, under Keir Starmer’s leadership, promises going forward.”

While both the UK and China stressed the importance of “pragmatic, mutually beneficial cooperation” in official statements, the Foreign Office confirmed that Lammy raised critical human rights and security issues during his discussions with Chinese officials.

After his meetings in Beijing, Lammy traveled to Shanghai to engage with British businesses, focusing on strengthening economic ties between the UK and China. Photo by  Sergeant Paul Shaw LBIPP/MOD, Wikimedia commons.