By Joe Cash
BEIJING, May 15 (Reuters) – British foreign minister Yvette Cooper is expected to visit China in early June, three sources familiar with the plans said, as London seeks to capitalise on relatively cordial ties with Beijing before any fresh setback over a new Chinese embassy in the UK capital.
The June 2-3 trip will take Cooper, formally the British foreign secretary, to Beijing for talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi before heading to the southern tech hub of Shenzhen to meet businesses, one of the sources said.
Briefings are being prepared on the basis that even if there is a leadership contest to oust British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, that would take weeks or months and the foreign secretary would likely still travel regardless, two British officials said.
Cooper is not a current front-runner for Labour leader, despite having held two of the UK’s Great Offices of State – prime minister, chancellor of the exchequer, foreign secretary, and home secretary.
The British Embassy in Beijing and Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Starmer and Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced a “reset” in ties during a January visit to China, following the British government’s approval of plans for Beijing to build its largest embassy in Europe in London, and paving the way for the lifting of Chinese sanctions on six serving lawmakers.
Beijing is a hive of diplomacy, with U.S. President Donald Trump wrapping up a state visit while Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive next week.
BRIEF WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
Officials in China and the UK are seeking to hold further rounds of high-level financial and commercial talks this year, with the Starmer government prioritising efforts to attract fresh investment from the world’s second-largest economy, while China seeks improved market access to offset sluggish domestic demand.
But a British government decision in March to block the use of Chinese wind turbine maker Ming Yang Smart Energy in offshore wind projects on security grounds – that dealt a blow to the company’s planned 1.5 billion pound ($2.01 billion) investment in Scotland – has frustrated Beijing, two British officials said.
The decision on Ming Yang was communicated to the Chinese in advance in a bid to keep Cooper’s visit on track, one of the officials said.
Furthermore, both British and Chinese officials told Reuters they are bracing for the outcome of a High Court review of the government’s January approval of a new Chinese embassy, due in June or July, with Beijing likely to retaliate if the project is stalled again.
Still, the British government is trying to make the most of the current detente, with ties under the previous Conservative government soured by tension during the coronavirus pandemic over human rights and spying accusations.
The Foreign Affairs Select Committee, led by senior Labour lawmaker Emily Thornberry, is expected to visit China later this month, two of the sources said, with stops in Beijing and Guangzhou, according to one of them, who warned the trip may not go ahead due to political upheaval at home.
($1 = 0.7479 pounds)
(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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