Head of British military visits China for first time since 2015

London did not publicise Adm Sir Tony Radakin's trip, but Beijing says he had in-depth talks with Chinese counterpart

China has confirmed that the head of the British military paid an unannounced visit to the country this week, where he met his counterpart at a time when Beijing's trade dispute with the US was intensifying.

London did not publicise the visit, but China's defence ministry said Adm Sir Tony Radakin had discussed strengthening military cooperation with a country that the UK officially describes as posing a systemic challenge".