UK leader cozies up to China, but at what cost?

UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is one of the few western leaders to refuse to condemn the shocking jail sentences of 45 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.

Asked twice if he would do so shortly after meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Brazil, Starmer said no.

“He and his government are so desperate for trade they will turn a blind eye to all future atrocities,” former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said in The Guardian.

Hopefully not, but the fact is, where once the UK enjoyed a privileged trade position with the US, EU and China, it is now staring bleakly at a near deserted playing field due to Brexit, looming US tariffs and cooled Chinese relations.

As a result, China is now high on the UK’s agenda when it comes to clawing back lost ground, but at what cost?

Starmer claims that he had “frank” discussions with Xi Jinping over the Hong Kong crackdown on civil rights but was not prepared to speak out publicly and jeopardize the progress made.

Downing Street said that Sir Keir also raised the issue of arrested British citizen and pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai, who is facing life imprisonment in Hong Kong, the BBC reports.

“We want that closer economic partnership… But that doesn’t mean we won’t have those differences and that doesn’t mean we won’t be frank about those differences,” Starmer said in The Financial Times.

“What we must not do is lose the opportunity for our economy with a better partnership when it comes to co-operating on economic and trade matters,” he added.

The hiatus with China stems from past disputes over civil rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang as well as cyber threats to UK entities, reports the BBC.

Starmer is the first British leader to meet the Chinese President for six years, determined to repair the damage as the UK faces stiff economic challenges. The last was Theresa May.

According to The Financial Times, the body language of the Chinese leader was anything but friendly at the G20 summit, though Xi ended their meeting saying that the two countries were ready to “break new ground.”

But many insist that Starmer needs to come up with a solid strategy for dealing with China, with red lines clearly drawn, particularly when it comes to civil rights.

“Of course, there will continue to be areas where we don’t agree, including their support for Russia’s war and on Hong Kong,” Starmer said. “But here too, we need to engage. The world is safer when leaders talk.”

Duncan Smith sees it differently. “It now appears we are returning to the failed ‘golden era’ project [of the David Cameron era] but this time on our knees,” he said in the Guardian.

“A once great country sells its soul for a dubious mess of pottage – what a shameful place to be as all those who looked to us for help will see how we are abandoning them.”

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