British Foreign Secretary Arrives in China for Trade, Security Talks

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has arrived on Wednesday in China for the two-day visit, during which he will meet a number of Chinese officials to discuss a range of economic and security issues.

Great to be in #China for next 2 days, for trade & security talks w/ #Beijing counterparts, visit @Airbus & delivering a speech @Peking_Uni

— Philip Hammond (@PHammondMP) August 12, 2015

Earlier on Wednesday, the UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the minister will give a speech at the University of Beijing on China's central role for the future peace and prosperity.

On Thursday, Hammond will meet with State Councillor of China Yang Jiechi to discuss a number of international security issues, as well as the international cooperation in the field of health. He will also meet with Minister Lu Wei, who is in charge of cybersecurity and internet policy in China.

Hammond's first visit to China as a minister is a part of the preparation for the Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to London scheduled for October.

The Foreign Secretary Hammond started his tour of the Far East, aimed to boost the UK’s relationship with the region, by visiting Japan on August 8, and then visited Singapore and South Korea prior to arriving in China.