British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. PA
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. PA
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. PA
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. PA

British Foreign Secretary Lammy to make official visit to China


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy will visit China on Friday and Saturday, Beijing’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has confirmed.

The British government insisted it will “challenge” China on issues including human rights violations and the tensions over Taiwan, with the visit being Mr Lammy's first trip to the country since taking office.

In Beijing, he is expected to meet Chinese Foreign Secretary Wang Yi and is also set to hold talks with British businesses in Shanghai.

Concerns continue to be raised over China’s human rights record, action in the Taiwan Strait, Hong Kong and UK universities, as well as its backing for Russia amid the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Lammy’s trip comes with the “firm recognition” that London and Beijing “will not, and do not, always agree”, the Foreign Office insisted.

Before travelling to the country, Mr Lammy said it was important to speak “candidly” about “both areas of contention as well as areas for co-operation in the UK’s national interest”.

“As permanent members of the UN Security Council with major global economies, the UK and China are global players. Our relationship matters,” he said.

“Engagement with China is pragmatic and necessary to support UK and global interests.

“From stopping Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, to supporting a global green transition, we must speak often and candidly across both areas of contention as well as areas for co-operation in the UK’s national interest.”

The UK Foreign Office said engagement with Beijing is “vital” due to its position as a rising global power and said the visit would start a “stable, consistent and pragmatic approach to China”.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has outlined the government’s approach as “co-operate where we can”, “compete where we have different interests” and “challenge … where it is needed”.

China held large-scale military exercises around Taiwan and its outlying islands this week, something Mr Starmer said is “not conducive to peace and stability”.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday he said: “Stability in the Taiwan Strait is in all of our interests.”

Setting out his wider approach to China, Mr Starmer said: “We will co-operate where we can as permanent members of the UN Security Council, on issues such as net zero and health and trade.

“Compete where we have different interests, and challenge … where it is needed to protect national security, human rights and our values. We will put that challenge in.”

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Match info

Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')

West Ham United 0

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

THE SPECS

Engine: 4.4-litre V8

Transmission: Automatic

Power: 530bhp 

Torque: 750Nm 

Price: Dh535,000

On sale: Now

Schedule for Asia Cup

Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)

Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)

Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)

Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four

Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai) 

Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)

Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)

Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)

Sept 28: Final (Dubai)

While you're here
FA%20Cup%20semi-final%20draw
%3Cp%3ECoventry%20City%20v%20Manchester%20United%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Chelsea%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E-%20Games%20to%20be%20played%20at%20Wembley%20Stadium%20on%20weekend%20of%20April%2020%2F21.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

FA Cup final

Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

The%C2%A0specs%20
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Church of South Indian Parish

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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

I Care A Lot

Directed by: J Blakeson

Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage

3/5 stars

Sweet%20Tooth
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The figures behind the event

1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew

2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show

3) 1,000 social distancing stickers

4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue

The specs
Engine: 3.6 V6

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Power: 295bhp

Torque: 353Nm

Price: Dh155,000

On sale: now 

AIR
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ENGLAND SQUAD

Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes

TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
The bio

Favourite food: Japanese

Favourite car: Lamborghini

Favourite hobby: Football

Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough

Favourite country: UAE

Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Updated: October 17, 2024, 11:01 PM`