China says British Foreign Secretary David Lammy will visit Beijing this week, as the two countries seek to mend ties frayed by a security crackdown in Hong Kong and human rights concerns.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a statement that the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs of the UK, "David Lammy, will pay an official visit to China from October 18 to 19.

Mao told a regular press briefing following the announcement of Lammy's visit, that China and the UK are both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and major world economies.

The visit will mark the first by a senior British official since the election of Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July.

Ahead of the trip, Starmer called for the jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai to be freed from prison in Hong Kong, as the pro-democracy campaigner faces trial in the former British colony.

On democratic Taiwan, which China claims, Starmer also said this week that huge military drills were "not conducive to peace and stability" in the Taiwan Strait.

He also called on Beijing to lift sanctions imposed on a string of UK lawmakers.

Reports also have it that Britain has been critical of China's crackdown on press freedom and protests in Hong Kong, which has strained diplomatic ties.

Last week, Lai's legal team told reporters in London that they hoped Lammy would put Lai's case "front and centre" during his visit.