UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond to visit China, Philippines and Japan

The Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond is in Beijing on the first stop of a Far East tour of China, the Philippines and Japan.

LONDON, 5-1-2016 — /EuropaWire/ — His tour starts with a two-day official visit to China, his second in 6 months. He is the most senior Cabinet Minister to visit China since President Xi’s landmark State Visit to the UK in October, which marked a significant change in UK-China relations. This visit will be an important opportunity to set the tone and direction for the UK’s deepening cooperation with China.

Today (Tuesday), he will hold high-level talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi where they will focus on the security challenges facing the world, in particular the humanitarian and political situation in Syria and the fight against Daesh and international terrorism. They will also discuss other foreign policy priorities, including Afghanistan, peacekeeping and our strong support for the rules based international system.

On Wednesday he will meet with State Counsellor Yang Jiechi and Premier Li Keqiang to exchange views on shared foreign policy priorities in 2016, including preparation for the next Strategic Dialogue and high-level Security Dialogue. He will follow up on key announcements from the State Visit, including on anti microbial resistance, and will discuss cooperation on the development of Rule of Law in China with Supreme People’s Court President Zhou Qiang.

The Foreign Secretary said:

The successful State Visit of President Xi last October established a new Global Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century between the UK and China. Given the pressing challenges we face, whether it is countering the threat of Daesh, providing humanitarian assistance in the Middle East, working to take forward UN Security Council Resolution 2254 in order achieve a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition, or securing stability in Afghanistan, as fellow Permanent Members of the UN Security Council the UK and China have an important role to play.

After leaving China, the Foreign Secretary will travel to Manila, followed by Tokyo.

Further information

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