Rishi Sunak warns against ‘simplistic Cold War rhetoric’ on China at Lord Mayor’s Banquet
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Rishi Sunak has declared that the “golden era” of the UK’s relationship with China is over as he describes Beijing’s move “towards greater authoritarianism” as a “systemic challenge to our values and interests”.
The Prime Minister, however, refrained from calling China a threat in her first major foreign policy speech, drawing a backlash from Labor and Conservative MPs for “flip-flopping” in rhetoric against the country.
Mr Sunak warned against China’s “simplistic Cold War rhetoric” and insisted it would continue to use “diplomacy and engagement” in its dealings with the communist-run state.
In an annual foreign policy speech at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London, he promised an “evolutionary leap” in the UK’s approach to repressive regimes around the world, which he said would be characterized by “robust realism”.
“We recognize that China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that becomes more acute as it moves toward greater authoritarianism,” Mr. Sunak said.
But added: “We cannot ignore the importance of China in global affairs, global economic stability or issues such as climate change.
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The ‘golden era’ of relations with China is over, says Sunak
Describing China’s growing authoritarianism as “a systemic challenge to our values and interests”, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the ‘golden era’ of the UK’s relationship with China was over.
In his speech at the annual Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London, Mr Sunak said the UK would stand up to global competitors such as China – “not with grandeur but with firm realism” and strengthened its ties with like-minded global allies including the US, Canada, Australia and Japan.
We recognize that China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that becomes more acute as it moves toward greater authoritarianism.
Rishi Sunak
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, attends the Lord Mayor’s Banquet at the Guildhall on 28 November 2022 in London
(Getty Images)
Referring to Beijing’s handling of mass protests across China against the country’s strict “zero Covid” strategy, Mr Sunak said that “instead of listening to their people’s protests, the Chinese government has chosen to crack down further, including assaulting a BBC journalist.”
Namita Singh 29 November 2022 04:29
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Welcome to The Independent’s UK Politics blog for Tuesday, 29 November 2022, where we provide the latest on all the buzz in Westminster.
Namita Singh 29 November 2022 04:05