Rachel Reeves to Revive UK-China Economic Talks: A Diplomatic Reboot

Britain's finance minister Rachel Reeves plans to visit China in January to restart stalled economic talks. She aims to revive the Economic and Financial Dialogue with China's vice premier and foster trade relations amid British economic challenges. The initiative follows strained UK-China relations in recent years.

Britain's finance minister, Rachel Reeves, is set to visit China for two days in January with a mission to rekindle high-level economic and financial discussions that have been dormant since 2019, according to insiders familiar with the situation.

Reeves and China's vice premier, He Lifeng, will inaugurate the Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) in Beijing on January 11th, aiming for a revival of these crucial talks, which were once held annually.

This diplomatic effort comes amidst economic uncertainty in the UK, where businesses have pushed for the revival of talks, including the UK-China CEO Council, to enhance trade relations. The visit also marks a shift in UK's foreign policy towards China under the current Labour government.

(With inputs from agencies.)