British foreign minister postpones visit to Beijing due to “disappearance” of his Chinese colleague

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley postponed his visit to Beijing after his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, has not appeared in public space for several weeks. informs Bloomberg citing sources.

According to the publication, Cleverly was supposed to visit China before the end of July, but the trip was postponed. Two Bloomberg sources report that the decision to postpone the visit was primarily influenced by the “disappearance” of the Chinese Foreign Minister. Another source said it was “one of several” factors.

Beijing and London are considering new dates for Cleverly’s visit.

Early June Bloomberg informedthat British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is trying to restore the country’s relations with China. Then the publication clarified that Cleverly could make a trip to China “in the coming months.” The Politico edition reported that this could happen before the end of July, later the head of the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry himself confirmed these plans.

In April, the Financial Times (FT), citing the text of Cleverly’s forthcoming speech at the Lord Mayor’s residence wrotethat he considers it a mistake to declare a “cold war” on China. According to Cleverly, “no significant global problem” can be solved without China. At the same time, the minister also noted the kingdom’s differences with China, for example, regarding the civil rights of Hong Kong residents and Uyghurs, as well as relations with Taiwan.