During a visit to Beijing, James Cleverly, the UK Foreign Secretary, has held bilateral meetings with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and Han Zheng, Vice President of the People's Republic of China.

Cleverley clearly set out the UK's position on key geopolitical issues, including the war in Ukraine, the situation in North Korea and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The UK Foreign Secretary also voiced London's position on China's malicious cyber activity. During a thorough discussion of the situation in Hong Kong, he stressed the damage caused by Beijing's national security law to China's rights and freedoms, and thus to its international reputation, and mentioned the case of convicted Hong Kong businessman Jimmy Lai.

Cleverly stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait to the international community and encouraged the immediate lifting of sanctions against his parliamentary colleagues. Furthermore, the UK Foreign Secretary sent a clear message that the UK is deeply concerned about the mass imprisonment of Uyghur people in Xinjiang.

Earlier, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen urged China to take a stronger stance on Ukraine and talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about his war of aggression.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly had a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after Beijing's representative attended a meeting in Saudi Arabia on the Ukrainian peace formula.

Following the meeting in Saudi Arabia, Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, said Ukraine plans to hold two summits on Zelenskyy's peace formula, one of which will involve Russia.