Prime Minister of Great Britain Rishi Sunak said that the so-called “Golden Era” of relations with China is over.
On that occasion, Sunak promised that his government would change Great Britain’s attitude towards that country. During his first foreign policy speech, Sunak stated that relations with China during the previous decade were “naive”, arguing that Great Britain must fight with “strong pragmatism” with its competitors.
He warned against “Cold War rhetoric”, adding that China’s global importance cannot be ignored. Sunak has faced pressure from the Tories to toughen Britain’s stance on China since taking over as party leader and British prime minister last month.
Arrest of journalists
After the protests in China that are taking place due to strict measures due to the coronavirus, Sunak gave a speech at a banquet in London.
We remind you that riots in China are happening in several cities, and yesterday a BBC journalist was beaten in Shanghai while reporting on the protests.
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The police beat him and arrested him on that occasion.
A systemic challenge
– China represents a systemic challenge to our values and interests, a challenge that is becoming more and more acute as it moves towards even greater authoritarianism – said Sunak.
Sunak emphasized that Britain still cannot ignore the significance of China in world affairs, for global economic stability or issues such as climate change.
The British Prime Minister and Chinese President Xi Jinping were due to meet for the first time at the G20 summit in Indonesia earlier this month, but the meeting was canceled after a missile explosion in Poland.
