UK China stance 'naive', human rights group warns, as Westminster calls for 'robust' relationship with Beijing

The UK’s stance on China is “naive”, a human rights group has warned, in response to a speech by foreign secretary James Cleverly in which he called for a “more robust” relationship with the country.

Mr Cleverly said the UK needed to create a “more constructive, but robust” relationship with the Chinese government, arguing isolating China would threaten the UK’s national interest. He said the UK must engage directly with the country to promote stability in a keynote address to the Lord Mayor's Easter Banquet in London on Tuesday.

But he also said the UK must be "unflinchingly realistic" about Beijing's authoritarianism, as he warned it against invading Taiwan. The speech is usually used to set out a range of foreign policy issues. However, Mr Cleverly opted to focus on China.

Human rights group the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation warned China was “not a friendly actor on the world stage”.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly during the Easter Banquet at Mansion House in London.

Mr Cleverly denied China should be classed as a "threat", arguing its scale and complexity cannot be reduced to one-word descriptions.

He said: "This Government will advance British interests directly with China, alongside our allies, while steadfastly defending our national security and our values.

"We can expect profound disagreements. Dealing with China – I can assure you – is not for the fainthearted. They represent a ruthless authoritarian tradition utterly at odds with our own.

"But we have an obligation to future generations to engage because otherwise we'd be failing in our duty to sustain – and shape – the international order.”

Mr Cleverly added: “Whatever our differences with China’s leaders, I rejoice in the fact that so many Chinese people have escaped poverty. We do not live in a miserable zero-sum world: their gain is our gain. A stable, prosperous and peaceful China is good for Britain and good for the world.”

Mark Sabah, the CHFK Foundation’s UK and EU director, said: “The foreign secretary’s speech on the British Government’s China policy reveals the UK’s foreign policy naivety. It is wishful thinking to believe that a nation that systematically breaks its international promises will decide to keep them simply because James Cleverly wants them to do so.

"It seems as if James Cleverly is willing to give China a pass so long as Britain’s trade and investment can flourish, which sets a horrific precedent for other European nations who are currently in disarray regarding how to approach China.”

He added: “Nobody has suggested that the UK disengage from China. However, we should not ignore China’s previous behaviours under Xi Jinping, and it is pie-in-the-sky dreaming to believe that James Cleverly will be the person who influences Xi’s behaviour. Instead of standing by his own Members of Parliament who have been sanctioned for having the audacity to call out China for its human rights abuses, James Cleverly seems to be comfortable ignoring China’s actions.

"China is not a friendly actor on the world stage as it commits an ongoing genocide in Xinjiang, strengthens its relationship with Russia, and threatens the democratic Taiwan. Nobody can trust that China will do what it says, and neither should we.”