The Treasury has said that making Britain better will be “at the forefront of the Chancellor’s mind” as she embarks on the visit. The UK must engage confidently with China in areas of trade that benefit the UK’s national interest and be equally confident in expressing our real economic and trade concerns to the Chinese, including market access and wider market-distorting practices.”Ms Reeves later added: “This engagement also needs to advance broader UK interests. Yields on 10-year gilts hit the highest point since 2008 on Thursday, at 4.89%. The yield on 30-year gilts briefly touched 5.43%, just below the peak of Thursday’s sell-off, which was the highest point since 1998. It has promised to “challenge” Mr Xi’s administration where necessary amid long-standing human rights concerns about the treatment of Uighur Muslims, constraints on freedoms in Hong Kong and its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Source: The Times January 11, 2025 00:13 UTC