Foreign Secretary Of United Kingdom Completes Landmark Trip To China And India To Bolster UK Security.

London; June 2026: The Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has concluded her 03 days trip to two key world powers, China and India strengthening the UK’s links with two of the world’s most influential powers.

During her visit, the Foreign Secretary underlined the need for the UK to be engaged with other serious players on the world stage, to make sure the UK was at the centre of dialogue and debate on the international issues that are shaping the world today.

She underlined that the UK cannot insulate itself from global issues through “cancel culture” on foreign policy and not engaging in vital global discussions. It must instead have conversations with key interlocutors that further the UK national interest, cooperating on areas of common ground and challenging in areas where we disagree. These conversations are rooted in the UK’s international approach that strong, purposeful engagement on the world stage is the best way to deliver growth and security for the British people.

In China, the Foreign Secretary travelled to Beijing for political engagements before going on to Shenzhen for meetings with Chinese tech businesses on Wednesday (03rd June 2026).

Meetings with Vice President Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi focused on global security and economic stability. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and two major global economies, the Foreign Ministers discussed working together to support international stability at a time of growing geopolitical tension. The Foreign Secretary stressed the urgency of reopening the Strait of Hormuz without tolls or charges, preventing nuclear proliferation in Iran and maintaining stability in the wider Middle East. She underlined the need for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, urging China to end economic support for Russia’s illegal war.

She and Foreign Minister Wang Yi also discussed a range of other foreign and security policy issues, including efforts to achieve an end to the conflict in Sudan, and the importance of coordinated international support to respond to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

As part of the visit, the UK announced a new partnership between the Prudential plc and the National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) to launch a series of local healthy ageing hubs across China. The collaboration will strengthen the UK’s global leadership in health innovation and unlock new commercial opportunities for British healthcare & life sciences businesses, driving growth back into the UK.

Travelling to Shenzhen, the Foreign Secretary engaged senior business leaders, investors and technology companies, promoting the UK as an open, competitive destination for investment. She saw some of the advances in AI and robotics in China, and pushed for the need for international standards and international cooperation around AI safety and security as technology becomes more advanced.

Going onto New Delhi on Thursday (04th June 2026) the Foreign Secretary drove forward work on issues that are vital to UK prosperity, speaking to the Indian Government about maritime security, growth and keeping supply chains secure from global economic shocks. 

In meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, the Foreign Secretary built on the strategic direction and vision for deeper cooperation built by the Prime Minister under Vision 2035.

She highlighted the crucial need to work together on the Strait of Hormuz and easing the impact its closure is having on international shipping. As part of that, the Foreign Secretary co-launched a new Regional Maritime Security Centre of Excellence (RMSCE), bolstering the UK’s cooperation with India on maritime security and resilience to international shocks.

Critical minerals also formed a key part of talks with Indian interlocutors. On the visit, the FS underlined the UK’s commitment to working with partners to create more diverse and resilient supply chains. Critical minerals are essential to the UK’s current and future prosperity, as necessary components in everything from electric vehicles and wind turbines to smart phones.

During her meeting with G. Kishan Reddy, India’s Minister for Coal and Mines, the Foreign Secretary launched the Critical Mineral’s Global Supply Chain Observatory (GSCO). A flagship component of the UK-India Technology Security Initiative, this Observatory provides a ground breaking AI tool that gives real time information on global critical mineral flows and identifies supply chain vulnerabilities.

As part of the GSCO, India will commit £1.2 million of funding to establish a satellite observatory campus at the Indian Institute of Technology in Dhanbad with the University of Cambridge.

Speaking on economic security, the Foreign Secretary said on the visit: “We are strengthening our economic partnerships, and we’re also strengthening our security partnerships; on maritime security, and on AI security. We are doing a lot of joint work together because they’re the biggest powers in the world – the UK has to engage with the biggest powers”.

She has further asserted: “We’re going to be engaging with governments that have different views from us on things. But we can also engage with, work with, and strengthen partnerships with countries at the same time as talking through and engaging on those disagreements”.

Team Maverick.