U.K. Foreign Secretary to visit India, China for talks on global challenges

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British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. | Photo Credit: Reuters

U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper volition question to China connected Monday (June 1, 2026) earlier a sojourn to India connected a two-nation circuit focused connected tackling planetary challenges and bolstering cooperation.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the ministerial engagements with the 2 large powers are expected to screen the concern successful the Strait of Hormuz, Russia’s penetration of Ukraine and the Ebola outbreak successful Africa.

Ms. Cooper is scheduled to clasp bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar connected Thursday (June 4), followed by interactions crossed concern and academia.

"The Foreign Secretary (Cooper) volition beryllium successful India, wherever she volition conscionable with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and conscionable with entrepreneurs, academics and authorities partners who are delivering connected the U.K.-India Vision 2035," the FCDO said.

Her sojourn to Delhi comes astir a twelvemonth aft the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was signed disconnected by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his U.K. counterpart, Keir Starmer, past July.

The leaders besides endorsed the 'U.K.-India Vision 2035' astatine the clip to reaffirm a shared committedness to unlock the afloat imaginable of a "revitalised partnership".

It was dubbed an ambitious and future-focused agreement, which underscores some nations’ resoluteness to enactment unneurotic for “mutual growth, prosperity, and to signifier a prosperous, secure, and sustainable satellite successful a clip of accelerated planetary change”.

While the U.K. ratification process of the India-U.K. Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has progressed done Parliament, the FTA deed immoderate hurdles implicit Britain's upcoming alloy import restrictions.

The 2026 'India Meets Britain Tracker' released earlier this week recovered that bilateral commercialized betwixt India and the U.K. roseate to 47.4 cardinal pounds successful 2025, an 11.7T% year-on-year summation and a fig expected to beryllium further boosted erstwhile the CETA is implemented successful the coming weeks.

While successful Beijing, the U.K. Foreign Secretary volition clasp discussions with Vice-President Han Zheng and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Ms. Cooper volition past question to Shenzhen for a programme focused connected subject and exertion connected Wednesday (June 3) earlier leaving for India.

Her sojourn to South Asia comes astatine a clip of sizeable planetary turmoil amid ongoing conflicts successful West Asia and Europe, impacting the maturation prospects of each large satellite economies.

Published - May 31, 2026 04:24 p.m. IST

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