Asia (bbabo.net), - The golden age in British-Chinese relations is over and London should deepen its relationship with allies who adhere to the same values, in general "dramatically", British Prime Minister Rishi said today, November 29 Sunak in his first comprehensive foreign policy keynote speech.
Sunak, who was elected leader of the ruling Conservative Party and prime minister a month ago, speaking at the traditional annual banquet of the Lord Mayor of London on Monday evening, said that China is a systemic challenge to British values and British interests, and this challenge is becoming more powerful. as China moves towards even more extensive autocracy.
At the same time, the British Prime Minister said that simplistic Cold War rhetoric regarding China is not enough, since the importance of this country in world politics, global economic stability and environmental protection cannot be ignored.
The United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and many other countries understand this, so together with these countries, Britain can "handle" the increasingly fierce competition from China, primarily through diplomacy and dialogue, the British Prime Minister said.
Sunak noted that this also meant a "drastic" increase in the UK's resilience, especially in terms of economic security. This includes the recently passed National Security and Investment Act.
Sunak recalled that it was on the basis of this law that the British government this month ordered that the Chinese majority owner of the largest British semiconductor company, Newport Wafer Fab, sell its 86% stake in the company.
The British Prime Minister said the "so-called golden age" of UK-China relations has come to an end, but the "naive idea" that trade automatically leads to social and political reform remains.
Thus, Sunak made a direct reference to the policies proclaimed by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne in the mid-2010s, which specifically sought to involve China as closely as possible in the development of the British economy, especially transport and telecommunications infrastructure.
Cameron, who was British Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016, said during Chinese President Xi Jinping's 2015 state visit to London, accompanied by royal splendor, that a "golden age" of British-Chinese relations had begun.
In a speech on Monday evening, Rishi Sunak officially announced the end of this policy. "Geopolitical changes are intensifying today, and Britain's adversaries and competitors are planning for the long term," he said. In addition to China, he also listed Russia as an adversary of the United Kingdom and said that in the face of the challenges posed by these powers, a momentary attitude based on wishful thinking is not enough.
London cannot rely on Cold War arguments or sentimentalism about the past, he added.
The British Prime Minister said that under these conditions, “an evolutionary SD is needed and the way to achieve this is to dramatically improve and deepen relations with allies around the world who think the same way as Britain.
According to Rishi Sunak, this is also due to the fact that the UK will support Ukraine for as long as necessary, and in the spirit of this, it will maintain and even increase the level of military assistance to Ukraine next year.
London will supply Ukraine with new air defense equipment to protect the population and critical infrastructure.
“When we defend Ukraine, we defend ourselves,” the British Prime Minister said in a speech on Monday.
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