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Britain no longer wants to be China’s best friend. The new repressive laws imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong citizens have fueled British discontent with China. Premier Boris Johnson accused the Chinese regime of violating the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, which guarantees ad hoc freedoms for citizens of the former British colony. Subsequently, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab announced in Parliament that he was ready to accept and offer citizenship to Hong Kong residents with a British passport. Raab said that Britain has a “historical responsibility” towards them, and will guarantee them the right to live and work in the United Kingdom for a period of at least five years.
This latest provocation from Beijing, on the occasion of the twenty-third anniversary of the passage of Hong Kong from Great Britain to China, strengthened the anti-Chinese front in Downing Street. Many of Johnson’s closest men fear Britain’s dependence on China, and want to establish a new relationship with the world’s second largest power. The days when former Prime Minister Cameron wanted to strengthen the alliance between London and Beijing are long gone. His government had laid out red carpets to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping to London in 2015, proclaiming the beginning of a “new golden age” in relations between China and Great Britain. The then Minister of Economy, George Osborne, boasted that Chinese investment in Britain would create “thousands of jobs” without glimpsing the danger ahead. Today many of his conservative colleagues regret the mistakes of the past. “Osborne was wrong about China, he was very naive,” said Nick Timothy, Theresa May’s conservative guru and former right-hand man, in an interview with Politico.
Covid-19 was an alarm bell for the London government. What worries the British foreign policy apparatus are not China’s responsibilities in spreading the epidemic, but the UK’s dependence on Chinese imports. At the height of the health emergency, Britain did not have access to personal protective equipment because China had blocked exports. The British government intends to increase domestic production of basic necessities to be self-sufficient in the event of a second wave. Public opinion also seems to have learned its lesson. A poll released today estimates that 72 percent of British voters are willing to pay more for medical devices while being independent of China.
The government turnaround was fueled by the anti-Chinese sentiment of conservative MPs. A patrol of Tory deputies created the China research group, a skeptical current that is fighting to reduce Beijing’s influence in Britain. The group was founded by the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Municipalities Tom Tugendhat, who organizes weekly meetings with leading figures from the British establishment to discuss relations between China and Great Britain. One of the most important issues concerns Huawei’s role in building the 5G network in the United Kingdom. In January, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had given the green light to the Chinese company to build 35 percent of the 5G network, raising a parliamentary revolt among the Tory who feared to compromise the historic alliance with the United States. When America decided to apply sanctions against Huawei, the United Kingdom acted accordingly. In May, the British Center for Cybersecurity considered the government’s choice in favor of Huawei and could give an opposite opinion in the coming weeks. Beijing’s actions against Hong Kong certainly don’t help the tech company’s cause.
This anti-Chinese campaign is not a niche concern for a Tory current. Covid-19 and repressions in Hong Kong have given rise to a bipartisan front that opposes Beijing’s growing influence. Labor supported Rahab’s statement in Parliament, reproaching the government for being too soft on the issue. “Britain must have a strategic approach to China,” said shadow Foreign Minister Lisa Nandy, who encouraged “Britain’s strategic independence.” Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has also advised the government to stay alongside the United States in the Huawei issue. Both conservatives and Labor are willing to admit that Brexit obliges the United Kingdom to strengthen its historic alliance with the United States. Unlike the European Union, Britain is more difficult to remain neutral in the confrontation between China and America. In the aftermath of the Chinese crackdown in Hong Kong, the British political establishment has clearly decided which side to take.
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