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.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
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