Britain should not “pull the shutters down” on China, as it would be counterproductive to the national interest, the foreign secretary has told the Guardian. In a warning to Conservative hawks, James Cleverly insisted there was not a binary choice to be made between treating China as either a threat or an opportunity, and said the UK’s approach needed to be more nuanced. It comes as the government attempts to navigate Beijing’s growing economic and political reach, with influential Tory MPs pressing the prime minister and his cabinet to take…
Tag: James Cleverly
Manchester Chinese consulate staff who attacked protesters returned home, says Cleverly – video
The UK foreign secretary has said the Chinese consulate staff who attacked protesters outside their consular building in Manchester have been sent home. ‘In response to our request the Chinese government have now removed from the UK those officials, including the consul general himself. This demonstrates our adherence to the rule of law,’ James Cleverly said on Wednesday. Consular staff attacked a group of pro-democracy demonstrators in mid-October after they attempted to take down a banner taunting the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. One of the protesters emerged badly bruised after…
UK to downgrade commitment to human rights for close diplomatic ties
The UK will target a group of about two dozen middle-level countries for long-term diplomatic partnerships in what marks a downgrade of a commitment to human rights as a prerequisite for close relations with the UK. The new policy being outlined in a speech by the foreign secretary, James Cleverly, is an attempt to set realistic ambitions and criteria for Britain’s future relations post-Brexit. It is an implicit admission that the phrase “global Britain”, coined by Boris Johnson, may have set expectations that British diplomatic resources and status cannot match.…