TAIPEI, Taiwan — China and Britain restarted economic and financial talks over the weekend after a six-year hiatus during a visit by Britain’s Treasury chief to Beijing, as the U.K.’s Labour government seeks to reset strained ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

Accompanied by a delegation of British business executives and finance officials, Chancellor Rachel Reeves met with Chinese leaders, including Vice Premier He Lifeng and Vice President Han Zheng.

Reeves emphasized the need for a “stable, pragmatic” U.K.-China relationship as she wrapped up talks in Beijing.

“Our two countries can work together on areas of mutual interest in the interests of our citizens, whilst also being frank and open with each other when we disagree,” she said.

The Sino-British ties have soured following a series of spying allegations from both sides, China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war and a crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, a former British colony.

British officials said Reeves will also urge Beijing to stop its material and economic support for the Russian war effort in Ukraine and raise the issue of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.

The two sides inked agreements on Saturday in areas such as finance “worth 600 million pounds ($732 million) over the next five years for the U.K. economy,” Reeves said without outlining the specifics of the deals.

“Overall, this government’s re-engagement with China already sets us on course to deliver up to 1 billion pounds of value for the UK economy,” she said.

Reeves’s three-day trip has been clouded by upheaval in the bond markets, which has pushed borrowing costs to their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis. The opposition Conservative Party has accused her of having “fled to China,” rather than addressing ease market concerns about inflation and economic stagnation.

In an op-ed piece in the Times of London, Reeves insisted that China offers Britain an opportunity to bolster growth. The nation cannot ignore the fact that China is its fourth-largest trading partner, with exports supporting close to half a million jobs in the UK, she said.

“Choosing not to engage with China is therefore no choice at all,” she wrote.

Reeves’ visit marked the revival of the China-U.K. Economic and Financial Dialogue — annual bilateral talks that have been suspended since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and deteriorating relations. London hopes renewed dialogues will help bring down barriers that U.K. businesses face when looking to export or expand to China.

Britain seeks to improve exchanges in areas such as sustainable finance, capital markets connectivity, pensions and regulatory alignment, as well as trade and investment, Reeves added.

“As part of this, it is important to prevent economic links weakening our national security and economic resilience,” she said.

The meeting also focused on finding ways to lift market access barriers for goods and services, “including unlocking a package in agrifood which is set to boost U.K. trade with China,” Reeves added.

Vice Premier He said China and Britain agreed to remove barriers to investment in areas such as clean technology, life sciences, digital technology and financial services.

The delegation included Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and the CEOs of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and the London Stock Exchange Group. Senior executives from some of Britain’s biggest financial services firms, including the group chairs of HSBC and Standard Chartered, were also included.