James Cleverly heading to China to ‘strengthen channels of communication’

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will visit China this week to hold “high level” talks with government officials amid an ongoing debate within his party over how to approach the country. Mr Cleverly is due to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday in what will be the first visit of a UK foreign secretary in five years, meeting China’s minister of foreign affairs Wang Yi and vice president Han Zheng The Foreign Office said he would use the trip to “strengthen channels of communication to further and protect British interests”. A number of issues will be up for discussion, including “helping to…