UK’s Cameron, China’s Yi discussed intention to have ‘constructive relationship’

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British Foreign Secretary David Cameron leaves Number 10 Downing Street after a Cabinet meeting in London, Britain, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Hollie Adams © Thomson Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) – British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he had spoken to his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Tuesday and the pair discussed their “intention to have a constructive relationship”.

“The UK will continue to engage with China where it furthers our interests,” Cameron said in a post on X, adding that they had also discussed the situation in Israel and Gaza, and the war in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s appointment of former British leader Cameron as foreign minister last month caused concern among some lawmakers in his Conservative Party about what it would mean for the government’s approach to China.

As prime minister, Cameron heralded a “golden era” in relations with China in 2015, something Sunak has said is over. Sunak has instead sought to balance national security interests with better cooperation on trade and climate change.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi leaves after signing a condolence book for the late Henry Kissinger at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. Ng Han Guan/Pool via REUTERS

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi leaves after signing a condolence book for the late Henry Kissinger at the U.S. embassy in Beijing, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023. Ng Han Guan/Pool via REUTERS© Thomson Reuters

Source: Reuters/Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Sarah Young; Editing by Kate Holton