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Britain defended its measured response to an incident in Manchester on Sunday when Chinese diplomats were accused of beating a Hong Kong protester.
Anti-China hardliners in the ruling Conservative Party have accused the UK government of appeasing Beijing and demanded the expulsion of the diplomats involved.
But Foreign Secretary James Astutely insisted that it was better to wait for a police investigation into the Manchester incident from October than to act on the basis of a widely shared video.
“Our diplomatic decisions will always be based on the rule of law and due process,” he told BBC television, in contrast to other countries that can act without evidence.
“We will make sure that our response is strong but demonstrably based on the rules,” he said, after diplomats accused a protester of dragging him to the consulate grounds to beat him.
Cleverly said that, similarly, the government needed more evidence about “secret” Chinese police stations operating on UK soil.
Ireland, the Netherlands and the United States have already closed after reports that China was using such outposts to spy on and intimidate its citizens abroad.
Smart said “we’ve seen some really, really inappropriate behavior, unacceptable behavior from China,” referring to development loans to Xinjiang, Hong Kong and poor countries.
But he also stressed the scope for partnership with Beijing on issues such as climate change, as the UK tries to find a more nuanced approach to the world’s second-largest economy.
A fortnight ago, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the “golden era” of relations with China was over, but his government would pursue “robust pragmatism” in dealing with global rivals.
“China is an incredibly challenging country on the international stage,” Smart said on Monday before delivering a speech outlining the need for post-Brexit Britain to look beyond its traditional allies.
As he led the country out of the European Union, Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke of a “global Britain” to seek new partnerships ahead.
But the concept is being worked on, in trade as well as in security, and meanwhile Britain is suffering financially with double-digit inflation.
The UK is ready to make an “investment of trust” with Latin American, Asian and African countries that have not been “traditional partners” in the past, according to his office, as the tact will say.
“The UK’s offer will be tailored to their needs and the UK’s strengths, including trade, investment, development, defence, technology and climate change,” says Chaturai.
“This will be backed up with a reliable source of infrastructure investment,” he added, as the G7 club of rich nations tries to counter China’s own debt-fueled development aid.
“We will show strategic endurance, ready to commit for the long term.”
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