Bob Savic

Opinion | End of ‘golden era’ in UK-China relations goes beyond any US meddling

The Johnson government’s sudden about-turn on China may not be entirely accounted for by the desire to break free of the EU or bowing to Washington’s influence

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Bob Savic

Published: 1:30am, 30 Jul 2020Updated: 3:25am, 30 Jul 2020

With the fifth anniversary of the China-Britain Comprehensive Strategic Partnership approaching, it is remarkable to see how dramatically this much-heralded “golden era” of relations has turned into one of deepening mistrust and bitter acrimony.

In the past few weeks, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has banned Huawei from involvement in Britain’s 5G networks, suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and extended its China arms embargo to the city. In light of these developments, the strategic partnership’s lofty aspirations of “enduring, inclusive and win-win cooperation” with “close high-level exchanges” and “deeper political trust” sound like a hollow statement of intent.

The unfolding failure of this partnership could not have been more evident than at the United Nations Human Rights Council. In late June, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab raised a motion condemning China’s plan to impose its national security legislation on Hong Kong.

The UK’s statement was supported by 27 other countries, including 15 European Union member states. About a dozen EU countries appeared not to support the UK’s statement. These included three of the top five EU economies – Italy, Spain and Poland – although none of the EU countries were among the 53 states supporting China’s position.

Why, though, should anyone profess surprise at the UK government’s recent combative approach in its relations with China? Behind the controversies surrounding Huawei, the Uygurs and Hong Kong – over which Downing Street has been criticised for increasingly mimicking US foreign policy – lie several elements of long-standing tensions within British domestic politics.

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The strategic partnership was set up before the Brexit referendum in June 2016 by then-prime minister David Cameron, who advocated remaining within the EU. Johnson, Cameron’s main political rival despite being in the same party, led the “Leave” campaign and won.