King Charles would ‘carefully’ consider China visit

King Charles III has only ever visited China once before, when he was still the Prince of Wales and accompanied Queen Elizabeth II during her 1986 state visit as part of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. A recent aide to the current monarch suggested that King Charles III would carefully consider the possibility of undertaking a second state visit to China if the government requested it.

The late Queen Elizabeth II's 1986 trip to China included stops in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The last state visit was made 40 years ago, according to the aide. The current visit of King Charles III has focused on the sensitive topic of slavery reparations, with him describing the transatlantic slave trade as a "monstrous injustice" and the UK government deliberating over an apology.

The king, who has been battling undisclosed cancer, enjoys tackling politically charged and challenging situations. Relations between the UK and China have been tense due to issues such as Hong Kong's political situation, human rights concerns, and spying allegations. However, the UK Prime Minister, currently Andy Burnham, is pursuing a cautious policy of rapprochement similar to that adopted by his predecessor Keir Starmer, who visited Beijing in January.

Burnham's office stated that inquiries about the monarch's travel plans would be directed to the palace.