Keir Starmer has issued a warning about China, saying that it poses “real national security threats to the United Kingdom”.
Speaking at the Guildhall in London, the Prime Minister spoke about China, and recognised that the UK needs to form a policy towards the country.
“For years we have blown hot and cold. We had the ‘Golden Age’, which then flipped to an ‘Ice Age’. We reject that binary choice.
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“So our response will not be driven by fear, nor softened by illusion. It will be grounded in strength, clarity and sober realism.”
China has been a big issue for the government as of late.
They have been accused of spying in parliament, and plans for the new “super embassy” in London have been repeatedly stalled.
A decision on the new embassy is expected to come later this month.
Sir Keir plans to visit China in the new year, and described the UK’s lack of engagement with Beijing as a “dereliction of duty”.
He said the world’s second-biggest economy was “a nation of immense scale, ambition, and ingenuity” and a “defining force in technology, trade and global governance”.
“This is not a question of balancing economic and security considerations. We don’t trade off security in one area, for a bit more economic access somewhere else,” he said.
“Protecting our security is non-negotiable – our first duty. But by taking tough steps to keep us secure, we enable ourselves to cooperate in other areas.”
The PM went on to say that he wants UK businesses to be able to win opportunities in China.
“In areas like financial and professional services, creative industries, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods and more – Great British success stories – the export opportunities are huge, and we will back you to seize them,” he said.
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said that Starmer’s comment show he has become “Beijing’s useful idiot in Britain.”
“From China’s continued flouting of economic rules to transnational repression of Hong Kongers in Britain, Starmer’s ‘reset’ with Beijing is a naive one-way street, which puts Britain at risk while Beijing gets everything it wants,” she said.
“Starmer continues to kowtow to China and is captivated by half-baked promises of trade.
“Coming just days after the latest Chinese plot to interfere in our democracy was exposed, his love letter to the Chinese Communist Party is a desperate ploy to generate economic growth following his budget of lies and is completely ill-judged.
“While China poses a clear threat to Britain, China continues to back Iran and Russia, and plots to undermine our institutions.”
Sir Keir also spoke about Brexit and the “wild promises” that had been made to the public.
“How it was sold and delivered was simply wrong,” he said. “We are still dealing with the consequences today.”