UK's new foreign minister travels to China seeking 'pragmatic' ties

LONDON (Reuters) - Foreign minister David Lammy will arrive in China on Friday seeking to demonstrate Britain's new government is taking a pragmatic and strategic approach to building ties with Beijing, even while acknowledging areas of sharp disagreement.

The Labour government, elected in July, wants to show it is serious about engaging with China, balancing a desire to co-operate on economic and global matters with challenging Beijing on issues like its support for Russia's war in Ukraine.

Lammy's two-day visit includes a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Friday before visiting Shanghai to meet British businesses operating in China.

"As permanent members of the UN Security Council with major global economies, the UK and China are global players. Our relationship matters," Lammy said in a statement about the trip.

"Engagement with China is pragmatic and necessary to support UK and global interests. From stopping Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, to supporting a global green transition, we must speak often and candidly across both areas of contention as well as areas for cooperation in the UK’s national interest.”

Lammy's visit is not expected to yield major diplomatic agreements or intended to mark a reset in relations. Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said the talks would focus on improving cooperation in various fields.

Earlier this year, Britain said it was extremely concerned after Reuters reported Russia has established a weapons programme in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine.

Lammy's visit is only the second by a British foreign secretary in six years, highlighting how relations with China under the previous government were soured by clashes over human rights, Hong Kong, and allegations of Chinese espionage.

China is Britain's sixth-largest trading partner, accounting for 5% of total trade, British government figures show.

(Reporting by William James and Andrew MacAskill, Editing by William Maclean)