British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs James Cleverly yesterday was to urge China to be more open about the reasons behind what he called the biggest military buildup in peacetime history and said secrecy around its plans could lead to a “tragic miscalculation.”
Relations between Britain and China are the worst in decades after London restricted Chinese investment over national security concerns, and expressed concern at Beijing’s increasing military and economic assertiveness.
In a speech at Mansion House in the City of London yesterday, Cleverly was to call for a “robust and constructive” relationship with Beijing.
Photo: Bloomberg
In a warning over the future of Taiwan, Cleverly was to say that Britain is open about seeking to deepen cooperation with allies in the Indo-Pacific region and called for China to be clear about its military intentions.
“I urge China to be equally open about the doctrine and intent behind its military expansion, because transparency is surely in everyone’s interests and secrecy can only increase the risk of tragic miscalculation,” Cleverly was to say, according to extracts released by his office.
China has not renounced the use of force to ensure unification with Taiwan. It has also said it would defend its territorial sovereignty, maritime rights and interests.
Cleverly’s speech is the clearest attempt to explain Britain’s approach to China under British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said at the end of last year that the so-called “golden era” of relations under former British prime minister David Cameron was over.
The Chinese embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While the leaders of France, Germany and Spain have visited China in the past six months and called for engagement with the world’s second-biggest economy, the US and Britain are taking a tougher approach to what they consider a growing threat from Beijing to their interests and values.
Britain has sought to limit national security threats posed by China, while engaging in areas such as trade.
The foreign secretary’s annual speech at Mansion House is normally used to set out views on a range of foreign policy issues, but unusually Cleverly’s speech was to focus solely on China, in what the foreign office said was recognition of its “huge significance” to global affairs.
Cleverly, who hopes to visit China this year, was to say that it would be a mistake to try to isolate China, and engagement is needed in areas such as climate change, pandemic prevention, economic stability and nuclear proliferation.
“It would be clear and easy — perhaps even satisfying — for me to declare a new cold war,” he was to say. “Clear, easy, satisfying — and wrong.”
However, Cleverly was to say that Britain would protect its national security interests and call out Beijing if it breaks its international obligations or abuses human rights.
He was also to use his speech to condemn the treatment of Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang region.
He was to accuse China of building “a 21st-century version of the gulag archipelago” and “locking up over a million people at the height of this campaign, often for doing nothing more than observing their religion.”
China has vigorously denied allegations of abuse in Xinjiang.
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