Royal Navy: Armed forces head visits China discussing "issues of common concern" before HMS Prince of Wales op

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin arrived in Beijing for the first time meeting with the country’s military leadership in a decade. This comes as HMS Prince of Wales is due to be deployed to the Indo-Pacific region and take charge of the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG).

Forces News reports that Adm Radakin discussed “issues of common concern” with China’s top brass, according to the country’s defence ministry. General Liu Zhenli, a member of China's central military commission, was among those who hold talks with the UK.

In a post on X, Adm Sir Tony said: "I met with Gen Liu Zhenli, Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, in Beijing and held talks on a range of security issues. We agreed that in an unstable world we must play our part as responsible nations with global interests, and we reflected on the importance of military-to-military communications."

Forces News reported that a readout of the meeting said: “The two sides conducted in-depth exchanges on China-UK relations and mil-to-mil relations, international and regional situations and issues of common concern, and had communication on strengthening exchanges and co-operation between the two militaries.”

The Chief of the Defence Staff gave a speech to future Chinese military commanders at the People’s Liberation Army National Defence University in Beijing, according to The Times. The last time a chief of the defence staff visited the country was in 2015. General Sir Nicholas Houghton travelled there during a period of good relations.

Foreign secretary David Lammy visited Shanghai and Beijing in October, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves also engaging in trade talks during a visit in January. Despite these steps, the UK-China relationship has appeared to have gotten more tense.

HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy’s flagship, is set to leave Portsmouth on April 22 and operate in the Far East as part of a nine-month operation. The 65,000 tonne carrier will carry out military drills and diplomatic visits in Japan, Australia, and elsewhere. Joint patrols with international navies will be carried out across the Pacific.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer previously called for more Royal Navy patrols in the Indo-Pacific during a visit to Samoa in October last year. These patrols are part of an often adopted strategy called the “Indo-Pacific tilt”, aimed at countering China’s growing sphere of influence and ensuring the West has a widespread presence in the region.

The prime minister previously said: “As responsible international players, we cannot turn a blind eye to the challenges faced by our friends and partners on the other side of the world, so my message today is clear: this is just the beginning of our commitment to the Indo-Pacific.”

China has been bolstering its naval forces in recent months, where two new classes of ship - Type 054B frigate and the Type 054AG frigate - are being built alongside new aircraft. Lord Vernon Coaker, Labour peer for the armed forces, previously said the UKCSG deployment would “assert the rule of law” over Beijing.

In response to a question from Lord Alton of Liverpool, he added: “The noble lord knows the policy in respect to China in terms of co-operating, competing and challenging. I believe very strongly that as well as competing and co-operating, we need to challenge, whether that is at home or abroad. We’ve looked at the implications for our own defence and that of our allies with respect to the development in China.

“Across the world, the power of ourselves and that of our international allies including the United States will be reflected with the Carrier Strike Group that will not only go into the Mediterranean but also the Indo-Pacific. That will be about asserting the rule of law.”