Rishi Sunak: The heyday of British-Chinese relations is over

• Sunak referred to the deeper economic connections of the previous decade as “naive” in his inaugural speech on foreign policy.
• His remarks came after protests over the weekend in China against the nation’s draconian Covid lockdown restrictions.
• He was speaking at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London.

The so-called “golden period” of relations with China is finished, according to Rishi Sunak, who promised to “evolve” the UK’s policy toward the nation.

Mr. Sunak referred to the deeper economic connections of the previous decade as “naive” in his inaugural speech on foreign policy.

The UK, according to the prime minister, must approach rivals with “strong pragmatism” in place of wishful thinking.

However, he cautioned against “Cold War rhetoric,” saying that China’s importance for the world could not be disregarded.

Since becoming prime minister last month, Mr. Sunak has come under pressure from conservative backbenchers to take a more aggressive position towards China.

His remarks came after protests over the weekend in China against the nation’s draconian Covid lockdown restrictions. He was speaking at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London.

A reporter was detained by police on Sunday while covering a protest in Shanghai. Police have also made a number of arrests. During his detention, the cops assaulted and kicked him, and he was detained for a while before being let go.

Business executives and foreign policy specialists in the audience were informed by Mr. Sunak that China had “decided to crack down harder, including by assaulting a BBC journalist,” in response to the protests.

“We recognize China poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that grows more acute as it moves towards even greater authoritarianism,” he said.

The “golden period” of UK-China ties and the “naive belief” that more commerce with the West would result in Chinese political reform, he continued, was “gone.”

Under former Prime Minister David Cameron, there was a “golden era” of deeper commercial connections, but since then, ties between London and Beijing have gotten worse.

Mr. Sunak emphasized, nonetheless, that “we cannot simply ignore China’s significance in world affairs – to global economic stability or issues like climate change.”

In order to “manage this sharpening competition, including with diplomacy and engagement,” he continued, the UK would cooperate with allies such as the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan.

“It means standing up to our competitors, not with grand rhetoric but with robust pragmatism,” he added.

At the G20 summit earlier this month in Indonesia, Mr. Sunak and Chinese President Xi Jinping were scheduled to meet for the first time. However, the meeting was postponed as a result of a missile explosion in Poland.

As part of a review of the UK’s foreign policy, Mr. Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss reportedly intended to reclassify China as a “danger” to the country.

Mr. Sunak used the review’s description of China as a “systemic challenge” in his speech. In the New Year, he promised, there would be more information about the review.

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