Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has explained that it is important to have discussions with Chinese officials in Beijing, as completely disconnecting from them would not be seen as believable or reliable.
When Cleverly met China’s vice president, he said that this trip, which is the first one by an important UK representative in five years, would help prevent misunderstandings and mistakes.
However, before his visit, some UK members of parliament criticized the government’s way of dealing with China as confusing.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a senior member of the Conservative party, said that it is like appeasing someone.
The relationship between the UK and China has gotten worse in the past few years because of worries about people’s rights in Hong Kong, China’s attempts to spy and influence people in the UK, and China supporting Russia when it invaded Ukraine.
Mr Cleverly spoke to the BBC and said that his visit was a chance to talk clearly about their differences and collaborate when it benefits both parties.
He said it would let the UK to “reopen communication” and added that not meeting in person could create “more chances for misunderstandings, lack of trust, and mistakes”.
He said that one call, one visit, or one meeting won’t completely change things. However, if we communicate patiently, consistently, and reliably, it could make a difference.
I talk about human rights, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and individual cases whenever I meet with Chinese government representatives.
When asked about China’s support for Russia in Ukraine, Mr. Cleverly said that China wants the war to end fairly and successfully.
I don’t believe China wants people to think that they support what Putin is doing, whether actively or without doing anything.
I believe Beijing pays attention to what the world thinks about them. They know that their future depends on other countries around the world.
Difficult to find or catch.
On Wednesday, Mr. Cleverly had a meeting with China’s Vice President Han Zheng at a big building called the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. He is also supposed to have discussions with China’s foreign affairs minister Wang Yi.
The relationship between the UK and China has changed a lot since 2015 when David Cameron’s government called it a “golden era”.
Back then, Chancellor George Osborne said the UK had become China’s top partner in the West, and Prime Minister Cameron took Chinese President Xi Jinping to a pub for a drink.
However, since then, disagreements about various problems have caused relations to become very bad.
The UK government has expressed dissatisfaction with China’s treatment of a specific group of Muslims called Uyghurs who live there. In 2021, the UK government also decided to prohibit a Chinese company named Huawei from participating in the country’s 5G network due to worries about safety and security.
In the same year, China stopped five Members of Parliament (MPs) from entering the country. One of them was Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative party. China accused them of spreading false information and lies.
Liz Truss, who was the prime minister, was said to be considering labeling China as a danger to the UK.
Rishi Sunak didn’t want to go that far, but in 2022 he said that the good times of relations with China were over and trying to improve relationships had been foolish.
MrCleverly is visiting at a time when the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Commons has expressed criticism towards the government’s dealings with China in a recent report on UK’s policies in Indo-Pacific region.
The report says that the Chinese Communist Party’s activities are seen as a danger to the UK and the things it cares about.
This statement raises worries that the government doesn’t have a clear plan and it asks for a version of its strategy on China to be published in a way that everyone can understand, so it can help both the public and private parts of society.
The committee also says that all important ministers should be told about the more important version of the plan.
The Conservative chairwoman of the committee, Alicia Kearns, said: “The secret China plan is hidden in the government offices and not shared with important ministers. ”
How can people who create rules and laws do it without knowing the big plan.
When asked if Mr. Cleverly should be going to Beijing, she told the BBC on Tuesday: “It is more important for us to be in the same place with them, even if we strongly disagree, instead of ending our relationship. ”
‘Weak’ means not strong or not having a lot of power or ability.
But former leader of the Conservative party and minister Sir Iain called the visit the most recent part of “Project Kowtow”.
He said to the PA news agency that the UK’s stance “strongly suggests giving in to avoid conflict”.
“He said that we want to increase our business, so we don’t want to make the Chinese too angry. ”
What happens is that they believe we are not strong enough.
Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, accused the Conservative government of being divided, inconsistent, and complacent towards China for over ten years.
He said the government needed to achieve real victories in diplomacy, like stopping Chinese sanctions on British parliament members.