'Golden era between UK and China is over', declares PM Rishi Sunak

In a veiled reply to the critics of his recent leadership campaign for being soft on China, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chose the Lord Mayor's banquet to speak his mind. Golden days are over for the UK-China economic ties, he said unequivocally. Instead, the need of the hour for the UK is to adopt a policy of robust pragmatism for the major global countries and competitors.

The golden era

Previous governments have viewed bilateral ties with China differently. In 2015, then-chancellor George Osborne was unanimous with the Chinese ambassador that the bilateral economic relations between the two countries were in a golden period. However, things changed during Boris Johnson's administration, with ties becoming stiff.

A significant global force

The PM, however, has cautioned against any cold war strategies against China since any country today cannot ignore its presence in the global economic sphere.

The Prime Minister’s speech comes after the detention of a BBC journalist for covering protests in Shanghai against strict Covid laws.

FAQs:

1. What are the actions the UK government has taken against China recently?
   The UK government blocked the proposed sale of the semiconductor manufacturer Newport Wafer Fab to the Chinese-owned Nexperia. The deal was reportedly valued at £63m. Further, the Chinese company Huawei’s 5G network was removed from the country.
2. What are the current issues for Prime Minister Sunak to be critical of China?
   The issues of concern for the UK are human rights abuses and freedom of expression. He mentioned that the media must be able to report on the matter of human rights in China without the fear of sanctions.