UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in China for high level talks with senior Chinese government representatives

Philip Hammond has arrived in China for a two day official visit, his first to the country since becoming Foreign Secretary.

LONDON, 12-8-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — Underlining the increasing strength of the UK-China partnership ahead of the Chinese state visit to the UK this autumn, Mr Hammond will hold high level talks with senior Chinese government representatives.

Today (Wednesday) he will deliver a keynote speech at Beida University in Beijing about China’s pivotal role in working with the UK and others towards future peace and prosperity. He will also visit an Airbus factory in Tianjin.

Tomorrow (Thursday) he will meet State Counsellor Yang Jiechi for ‘strategic dialogue’ talks covering foreign and security policy issues, global cooperation on health and a potential climate deal in Paris in November. He will also meet with Minister Lu Wei to discuss cyber security.

The Foreign Secretary said:

Britain’s relations with China are strong and are firmly on track to becoming even stronger. It is a great pleasure to be visiting China for the first time as the British Foreign Secretary.

I look forward to meeting my Chinese counterparts to discuss our flourishing bilateral relationship and how our two countries can work with other countries to find international solutions to the world’s big problems.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @PHammondMP
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UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in China for high level talks with senior Chinese government representatives