[ad_1]
The UK will target a group of around two dozen middle-tier countries for a long-term diplomatic partnership that will mark a downgrade of commitment to human rights as a precondition for closer ties with the UK.
The new policy, outlined in a speech by Foreign Secretary James Cleverley, is an attempt to set realistic ambitions and parameters for Britain’s future relationship after Brexit. It is an implicit admission that the phrase “global Britain” coined by Boris Johnson may have set expectations that British diplomatic resources and status could not match.
The new thinking emerged from a review within the Foreign Office’s Geostrategy Unit.
In a trail ahead of his speech, the department said the UK would hope to build close, long-term multidimensional partnerships with countries that “believe in sovereignty and territorial integrity, in free trade and in the value of an international rules-based order. It has made relations for more people around the world than ever before. Have seen peace and prosperity.”
The criteria on some interpretations would allow the UK to form relationships with countries that are not necessarily democratic, but respect borders and represent no security risk to the UK.
Wise will say that new patient diplomatic relations will be forged in countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia that are likely to become more influential over the next 30 years, including some with which the UK has not previously had close relations.
Corresponding offerings will cover trade, diplomacy, technology, defense, cyber security, adaptation to climate crises and environmental protection. This will be supported by investment from British International Investment and the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment, an initiative designed to provide a rival source of funding to that provided by China.
The FCDO’s argument is that if the UK no longer engages with these countries they are likely to be attracted by others in a competitive diplomatic environment and further distanced from Western influence.
Clever’s predecessor, Liz Truss, spoke of creating a network of freedoms that spanned the globe and pushed the boundaries of freedom, a phrase that suggested a strong determination to champion democracy over dictatorship. When asked how this goal could be squared with Britain’s support for the Gulf states, she argued that Britain could legitimately ally with such countries if they intended to pose a threat to the UK.
Speaking to Sophie Ridge on Sky on Sunday, Chaturai was challenged on how the UK’s close relationship with Saudi Arabia is linked to Riyadh’s use of public executions. He said the UK highlighted very big differences with Saudi Arabia on human rights but added: “It’s incredibly important that we maintain an ongoing bilateral relationship with Saudi Arabia. Some of that includes trade, but also security, counter-terrorism work. is
In the FCDO’s annual human rights report published last week, the government set out a range of Saudi human rights abuses but claimed there was “real Saudi appetite for change” in areas such as “judicial reform, women’s rights and the death penalty”.
Yet Saudi Arabia had executed 148 people by the end of November this year, double the number in 2021. A Saudi human rights group detailed last week that “the kingdom has imposed a series of prison sentences in an extraordinary innovation on freedom of expression. Peaceful social media activity.”
Cleverly also hinted at a more pragmatic approach to China, refusing to repeat Rishi Sunak’s claim as a Conservative leadership candidate that China is “the biggest threat to the security and prosperity of Britain and the world this century”. Sunak has now described China as a systemic challenge, giving the UK scope to more closely scrutinize Chinese investment in the UK.
[ad_2]
Source link
