Could King Charles become the first British monarch to visit China in 40 years?
LONDON, Nov 8 — A British monarch has only ever made one state visit to China: Queen Elizabeth II four decades ago...
King Charles III could become the first British monarch to visit China in 40 years, according to an aide to the palace. Queen Elizabeth II made the last state visit to China in 1986, and the occasion came two years after the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which improved relations between the two countries.
The aide stated that if the government asked the king to go to China, he would consider it carefully. Charles, who is politically neutral and nearly 78 years old, is known for taking on politically charged and challenging situations. He has previously been praised for his state visit to the United States and his handling of US President Donald Trump.
Relations between London and Beijing have been strained due to tensions over Hong Kong's political situation, Beijing's human rights record, and spying allegations. However, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pursuing a policy of cautious rapprochement, similar to the approach taken by his predecessor Keir Starmer, who visited Beijing in January.
Charles's aide noted that China is a complex country and would pose a lot of complexity in terms of programming a visit. As then Prince of Wales, Charles oversaw Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule as the UK's most senior representative during the 1997 handover.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
