UK FM warns China that arming Russia will damage relations with Europe

Britain's foreign minister has raised concerns about China's support of Russia in its war against Ukraine, urging his Chinese counterpart to prevent Chinese firms from supplying to Russia's military in a meeting in Beijing.

David Lammy made the comments as he made his first visit by a Cabinet minister to China since the Labour government came to power in July.

He met on Friday with Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and held talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi later the same day.

The two-day trip is an attempt to reset ties with Beijing after relations turned frosty in recent years over spying allegations, China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war and a crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, a former British colony.

While Britain's government stressed that engagement with China was “pragmatic and necessary," officials said Lammy also raised thorny issues including Russia and human rights concerns in Hong Kong and China's far-western Xinjiang province.

Lammy “stated how both the U.K. and China have a shared interest in European peace and ending the war. He reaffirmed that concerns over China’s supply of equipment to Russia’s military industrial complex risks damaging China’s relationships with Europe whilst helping to sustain Russia’s war,” the Foreign Office said in a statement after the meeting.

Lammy urged Wang to “take all measures to investigate and to prevent Chinese companies from supplying Russia’s military,” the statement said, adding the two sides agreed to continue discussions on this and other geopolitical issues such as the conflict in the Middle East.

On Thursday the United States sanctioned two Chinese companies for allegedly helping Russia build long-range attack drones used in the war in Ukraine. The Chinese Embassy in Washington said the allegations were false.