During talks in Beijing, David Lammy pressed the Chinese side on human rights issues and China's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Foreign Office said.
Lamy was under pressure to take a tough stance on a range of human rights issues with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi when the two foreign ministers met on Friday during Lamy's first visit to China since taking office.
In a statement after the meeting, the Foreign Ministry said the meeting was “constructive” and that Mr. Lamy discussed “a number of foreign policy and security issues, including Chinese companies supplying equipment to the Russian military and the conflict in the Middle East.” ” was raised.
It added that human rights issues were discussed, including the mistreatment of Uyghurs in China's far western Xinjiang region and the detention of British national Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.
However, the statement did not directly mention Taiwan. Earlier this week, China carried out large-scale military exercises around the island, which Keir Starmer said were “not conducive to peace and stability”.
Before his trip to China, Mr Lamy said it was important to speak “frankly” about “both areas of conflict and areas of cooperation that are in the UK's national interests”.
But the government has distanced itself from Mr. Lamy's comments from his time in the opposition suggesting that actions against the mainly Muslim Uyghur people should be recognized as genocide.
A Downing Street spokesperson said on Thursday that the decision was the result of a “competent court”, adding: “We firmly stand for human rights and are committed to supporting China's persecution of Uyghurs and other Muslim-majority minorities. It is clear that he continues to be arbitrarily detained.”
In a statement, Lamy said he listed a number of areas for “realistic and mutually beneficial cooperation” with the Chinese government, as well as human rights and security concerns.
These include the transition to green energy, international development, global health, the safe use of AI, and promoting “secure and resilient growth” through trade and investment.
During his visit to Beijing, Lamy also met with Ding Xuexiang, the most senior of China's vice prime ministers and a close aide to President Xi Jinping.
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According to a statement from the Chinese government, Ding said China was “ready to work with the UK” to build “more stable and mutually beneficial” relations, and also stressed the need for “realistic cooperation”.
Mr Lamy is expected to visit Shanghai to discuss economic relations between the UK and China with British companies.
His visit by the UK Foreign Secretary is the second in two years, following that of James Cleverley in August 2023. The visit marked a slight thaw in relations between the UK and China, with Cleverley becoming the first foreign secretary to visit the country since 2018.
He also stressed the need for a “realistic” relationship with Beijing, but also expressed concern about human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
