China would welcome a visit by Britain’s finance minister Philip Hammond, the Chinese foreign ministry said, a day after the minister had said talk of deploying a British warship in the Pacific had complicated bilateral relations.
As Britain prepares to leave the European Union at the end of next month, its biggest foreign and trade policy shift in more than 40 years, it is seeking to strengthen diplomatic relationships and trade ties with countries around the world.
British media reported that China had cancelled trade talks with Hammond because it was upset about Williamson’s speech.