In a diplomatic move few saw coming, Britain’s top military officer has visited China for the first time in a decade, signalling a potential thaw in frosty relations at a time of rising global uncertainty.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of the Defence Staff, travelled to Beijing earlier this week to hold rare face-to-face talks with senior Chinese military officials. The visit, quietly confirmed by China’s defence ministry, centred on “issues of common concern”, though precise details were kept under wraps.
Sir Tony later shed some light on the tone of the talks, writing on X: “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.”
His trip marks the first time a UK Defence Chief has visited China since 2015, and it aligns with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s stated ambition to strengthen diplomatic engagement with Beijing.
Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed the visit had taken place earlier this week. Speaking in Brussels on Thursday, Healey said: “It’s always good to have military-to-military engagement, and that is what he was establishing.”
He also noted that Admiral Radakin had been “very firm in the arguments about peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific” and had raised “concerns about any use of military aggression or assertiveness to pursue political ends.”
While Taiwan was not mentioned explicitly, the message was clear. China’s recent large-scale military drills near the self-governing island have raised alarms in the region. Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province destined to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Yet, most Taiwanese identify as a separate nation and support maintaining the island’s current ambiguous status quo.
The timing of the visit is striking. It coincides with a major escalation in trade tensions between China and the United States, following President Trump’s announcement of new, higher tariffs, fuel for an already smouldering trade war.
The diplomatic outreach isn’t isolated. Last October, Foreign Secretary David Lammy became only the second UK foreign secretary to visit China in six years, part of a broader strategy to maintain open channels amid growing global friction.
Following his Beijing visit, Sir Tony has since joined allies in Brussels for ongoing discussions on the situation in Ukraine, highlighting the UK’s focus on stability across multiple global flashpoints.
