The newly-appointed foreign secretary enters Number 10 just weeks after promoting a port city in Sri Lanka which is a major part of Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.
David Cameron returned to frontline politics after James Cleverly was moved into Suella Braverman’s position as part of a major re-shuffle.
He will represent Britain’s interests overseas, and may even try to reboot the “golden era” of relations with Chinese President Xi Jinping promised during his time as prime minister.
Colombo Port City
Those aspirations could be easier to come by than not given that he may have already been representing the country’s interests in the Indo-Pacific.
The ex-PM was enlisted to drum up foreign investment in a controversial Sri Lankan project being billed as a Chinese-funded rival to Singapore and Dubai.
Cameron flew to the Middle East in late September to speak at two glitzy investment events for Colombo Port City, having visited the waterside site in Sri Lanka in person earlier this year.
His spokesperson said the former PM had had no direct contact with either the Chinese government or the Chinese firm involved, but his lobbying for the scheme has drawn severe backlash from critics, who say his activities will aid China in its geopolitical ambitions.
Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, who was sanctioned by Beijing for criticizing its human rights record, said: “Cameron of all people must realize that China’s Belt and Road is not about help and support and development, it’s ultimately about gaining control — as they’ve already demonstrated in Sri Lanka.
“I hope that he will reconsider the position he’s taken on this.”
Tim Loughton
Tim Loughton, another Tory MP sanctioned by China, said: “The Sri Lankan project is a classic example of how China buys votes and influence in developing countries and then sends the bailiffs in when those countries can’t keep up the payments.”
“Cameron should be working to help wean vulnerable countries off Chinese influence and debt rather than tying them in more tightly.”
The Colombo Port City project has proven controversial since its inception.
It was unveiled in 2014 by China’s Xi and Sri Lanka’s then-president, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Three years later, Sri Lanka handed it over to Chinese control after struggling to pay off its debt to Chinese firms.
Multiple concerns have been raised about the project, including its environmental impact.
Analysts have also warned repeatedly that China is using the project to extend its strategic influence in the region. Beijing has already used the nearby Hambantota port — also funded by Chinese loans — to dock military vessels.
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