“British Foreign Secretary Cleverley’s Speech on China’s Military Expansion and UK’s Foreign Policy”

25.04.2023

British Foreign Secretary Cleverley will deliver a speech on the evening of April 25, outlining the Sunak government’s foreign policy towards Beijing. According to the summary of his speech, Cleverley believes that isolating China is not in the UK’s national interest and should not declare a “new cold war”. At the same time, he will also talk about China’s military expansion and urge China to be transparent about it.

(Deutsche Welle Chinese Network) British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will press China to disclose the reasons behind what he says is its largest peacetime military build-up, Reuters reported, saying secrecy could lead to a “tragic miscalculation” .

Relations between Britain and China have entered their worst period in decades as London limits Chinese investment over national security concerns and grows concerned about Beijing’s growing military and economic assertiveness.

On the evening of Tuesday (April 25), Cleverley will deliver a speech at the Mayor’s Residence, a historic landmark in London, saying that the UK is open to seeking to deepen cooperation with allies in the Indo-Pacific region, and calling on China to clarify its military expansion intentions.

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“I urge China to disclose the principles and intentions behind its military buildup, because transparency is in all parties’ interests and secrecy only increases the risk of tragic miscalculation,” Cleverley will say, according to a summary of his speech released by his office.

Britain readjusts its stance on China after PM Sunak takes office. The leaders of France, Germany and Spain have visited China over the past few months and called for engagement with the world’s second-largest economy, but the U.S. and Britain have taken a tougher line in response to what they see as growing interests from Beijing and threats to values.

British Foreign Secretary Cleverley believes that it is wrong to try to isolate China, and the West needs to engage with China in areas such as climate change, epidemic prevention, economic stability and nuclear proliferation.

According to Agence France-Presse, Cleverley will say in his speech that isolating China is not in the UK’s national interest.A “new cold war” should not be declared. “It would be simple, easy for me to declare a new cold war and say our goal is to isolate China, but it would be wrong. Because it would be a betrayal of our national interests, it would be a A deliberate misunderstanding of the modern world.”

At the same time, Cleverley will also say that if Beijing violates international obligations and violates human rights, the UK will protect its national security interests and publicly condemn Beijing.Cleverly will also speak to condemn China’s persecution of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang regionaccusing China of building a “21st century version of the Gulag Archipelago.”

(Reuters, AFP)

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