Foreign secretary also under pressure to criticise erosion of human rights in Hong Kong
Jeremy Hunt will arrive in China for his first major overseas trip as foreign secretary, seeking to revitalise the golden era in Anglo-Chinese relations started by David Cameron, but under pressure to warn Chinese leaders to end the erosion of human rights in Hong Kong.
Hunt, who inherited the trip from his predecessor, Boris Johnson, will want a surefooted start as European countries try to reassure Chinese leaders they are right to engage with multilateral institutions despite the erratic and often unilateral behaviour of the US president, notably his withdrawal of the US from the UN climate change treaty.
Hunt has a Chinese wife and speaks Japanese. He has long taken an interest in Asia, and the shift in international power away from the west.
He will arrive in Beijing on Monday and meet the Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, the Politburo member Yang Jiechi and the foreign minister, Wang Yi. Wang and Hunt will jointly chair the ninth strategic dialogue between the two countries.
They are expected to discuss multilateralism, climate change and the need to maintain sanctions to keep pressure on Pyongyang to meet its commitment towards nuclear disarmament in North Korea. Some US politicians fear China is turning a blind eye to North Korea sanctions-busting due to China’s anger at Trump’s trade war.
Theresa May visited China in November, but the era of close relations – including major strategic inward investments by China – that was hailed by Cameron has appeared to be on the wane. That is partly due to the lack of an unalloyed enthusiast for China in the mould of George Osborne in the Treasury.
The Commons foreign affairs select committee, which is inquiring into China’s commitment to multilateralism, has been told that Brexit will reduce Chinese interest in the UK as it seeks to make common cause with the EU to resist US trade aggression.
