UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warns of China, saying the country ‘poses a systemic challenge to our values ​​and interests’

China is increasingly ostracized by much of the West, with the US among its most vocal opponents. But now the UK, which has previously been soft on China, has indicated it will also take a tougher stance.

In his first foreign policy speech on Monday since taking office, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared that the “golden era” of the country’s relations with China was over and said it was time for British relations to “develop”.

Sunak described the close economic ties of recent decades as “naive” and called China a “systemic challenge” to British interests.

“We recognize that China poses a systemic challenge to our values ​​and interests, a challenge that is becoming more acute as it moves toward even greater authoritarianism,” Sunak said at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London.

He now wants to pursue a “robust pragmatism” against close competitors and strengthen ties with allies like the US, Canada, Australia and Japan. With geopolitical shifts underway, Sunak said, “short-termism or wishful thinking will not be enough” against Russia and China.

Britain’s call for a tougher stance comes days after anti-government protests gripped parts of China amid strict COVID lockdowns. During his speech, Sunak expressed concerns, saying China is cracking down on protesters instead of heeding their pleas, including “attacking a BBC journalist.”

Conservative politicians have been pressuring Sunak to take a clear stance on China, hoping he would openly acknowledge China as a “threat” to British security. In his July election campaign for leadership, Sunak called China the “greatest threat” to Britain and world security. He also spoke about China building a global alliance to fight cyber threats and espionage.

Sunak’s speech on Monday drew criticism from conservatives who urged a harder line. Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said Sunak’s remark about “robust pragmatism” “could be anything you want” and was merely “appeasement”. Labor Party foreign policy spokesman David Lammy said the incumbent government had “reversed its rhetoric towards China”.

Earlier this month, Sunak was due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since 2018 at the G20 summit in Indonesia, but those plans fell through after a missile blast in Poland.