Rishi Sunak abandons his plan to label China a "threat" to UK security
Rishi Sunak suggested that he will abandon plans to label China a "threat" to national security. The move is part of a review of British foreign policy. Sunak initially referred to China as a "systemic threat" before quickly correcting himself. Upgrading China's status to a "threat" would put it on a par with Russia and have ramifications for British foreign policy.
Sunak said that his stated viewpoint was "highly aligned with our allies" and their security plans. Thanks to his hesitant tone, he sounds more like Boris Johnson, who emphasized the value of communication and trade with China.
Following criticism of Beijing's treatment of the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang, Rahima Mahmut, director of the World Uyghur Congress in the UK, declared that China represents a "clear and present danger" to the UK. Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader: “This is a cop-out. The saddest part of this is that President Xi Jinping will see this about-turn as a sign of weakness by the PM.”
Senior MPs suggested that changing China's status would have been more of a publicity act than a significant move. Sunak's remarks "look like yet another screeching U-turn on the Conservatives' approach to China," according to David Lammy, shadow foreign minister for the opposition Labour Party.
Source: https://www.politico.eu/article/rishi-sunak-ditches-plan-to-class-china-as-a-threat-to-uk-security/