![]() ![]() The prime minister is set to outline his vision to stand up to competitors in a speech this evening, where he is expected to say he will use "robust pragmatism" rather than "grand rhetoric". He said journalists and politicians should be able to highlight issues "without sanction", including "calling out abuses in Xinjiang - and the curtailment of freedom in Hong Kong".Īlongside allies, he said the UK would "manage this sharpening competition, including with diplomacy and engagement".įormer Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith has hit out at Rishi Sunak's approach to China, saying his words meant "kind of anything you want it to mean". "Instead of listening to their people's protests, the Chinese government has chosen to crack down further, including by assaulting a BBC journalist." "We recognise China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that grows more acute as it moves towards even greater authoritarianism. ![]() Turning specifically to China, he said: "Let's be clear, the so-called 'golden era' is over, along with the naive idea that trade would automatically lead to social and political reform. This would involve "being stronger in defending our values", he said, and "standing up to our competitors, not with grand rhetoric but with robust pragmatism". "So, we will make an evolutionary leap in our approach." Rishi Sunak said: "We can't depend on Cold War arguments or approaches, or mere sentimentality about our past. In a speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet, the British prime minister has warned "short-termism or wishful thinking will not suffice" in the face of threats from Russia and China. That included calling out abuses in Xinjiang and the curtailment of freedom in Hong Kong, he added.īut it wasn't just Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne who were derided by the current prime minister. His rejection of "grand rhetoric" in favour of "pragmatism" could only have been directed at one ex-prime minister: Boris Johnson. He condemned the assault of BBC journalist Ed Lawrence and said the media and MPs must be able to highlight the crackdowns without sanction. The term "golden era" was actually used by Mr Osborne during a visit to China in 2015, when he claimed the UK was China's best partner in the West.įour prime ministers later - in just seven years - Mr Sunak lambasted the Chinese in his Guildhall speech. Presumably not what Mr Cameron had in mind for boosting UK-Chinese trade. Not long after the two leaders supped pints in The Plough at Cadsden in Buckinghamshire, the pub was bought by a Chinese firm. ![]() It was Mr Cameron, after all, who took President Xi to a country pub near Chequers during a state visit in 2015. Naive? That sounded like a pretty scathing attack on David Cameron and George Osborne. The so-called "golden era" is over, he said, "along with the naive idea that trade would lead to social and political reform". The UK needs to "evolve our approach" to China, he declared at the sumptuous Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall in the City of London. Rishi Sunak has called last orders on the UK government's cosy relationship with China. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |