UK and China in talks about resuming economy discussions, Sky reports

LONDON (Reuters) -British finance ministry officials and their Chinese counterparts are in detailed discussions about staging a first high-level meeting between top finance officials since 2019, Sky News reported on Tuesday.

Britain's new finance minister Rachel Reeves is considering travelling to Beijing in early 2025 for a meeting of the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue - a forum for bilateral talks on trade, investment and other economic issues - Sky said.

Last month, Chinese state media cited Vice Premier He Lifeng as saying China was willing to restart economic and financial dialogue with Britain after he spoke by phone with Reeves.

Ties between the pair became strained in recent years over British worries about a Beijing-imposed national security law in Hong Kong, its accusations of rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region, and its security concerns where Chinese firms' have been involved in providing critical infrastructure.

In August, after winning parliamentary elections in July, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Chinese President Xi Jinping the two countries must be able to talk frankly about their disagreements and also pursue closer economic ties.

A spokesperson for Britain's finance ministry, when asked about the Sky News report, pointed to last month's call between Reeves and He and said "they agreed to take forward discussions on timings and areas that could be covered in future engagement."

(Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Sarah Young and Sachin Ravikumar)