UK and China relationship ‘critically poisoned’, says Beijing’s ambassador

The connection between the UK and China has been “critically poisoned”, says Bejing’s ambassador to London.

In a prolonged press convention, rebutting criticism of the Chinese language authorities, Liu Xiaoming stated the UK was at a “crucial historic juncture” in its future together with his nation.

The ambassador urged the UK to “resist stress” from the US to sentence China.

And he rejected accusations of human rights violations towards Uighur Muslims within the Xinjiang area.

The UK and China have had quite a few political disputes in current months, together with over the banning of know-how agency Huawei from the UK’s 5G cellular community and the brand new safety legislation imposed in Hong Kong.

However Mr Liu stated he hoped the governments had “sufficient knowledge and capabilities” to maneuver ahead from their variations “relatively than permitting anti-China forces and Chilly Warfare warriors to kidnap the China-UK relationship”.

A spokesman from the International Workplace referred the BBC to earlier statements made by International Secretary Dominic Raab, saying the UK authorities would “work to take care of optimistic, constructive engagement with the Chinese language authorities”.

However Mr Raab additionally pressured “the significance of China rebuilding belief with the worldwide group by dwelling as much as its worldwide tasks” and “upholding its worldwide human rights obligations”, including: “The UK is watching. And the entire world is watching.”

Mr Liu’s press convention, addressing divisions between the UK and China, lasted for over an hour, with him condemning “irresponsible remarks” of British ministers and the press for his or her protection of his authorities.

He stated China “respects UK sovereignty and has by no means interfered within the UK’s inside affairs” and it was “essential the UK will do the identical,” calling for the British authorities to “cease interfering in Hong Kong’s affairs… in order to keep away from additional harm to the China-UK relationship”.

The ambassador criticised the choice to ban Huawei from the UK’s 5G cellular community, calling it a “darkish day for UK and China relations, and a fair darker day for the UK, with a missed alternative to be a number one nation in 5G infrastructure”.

And he rejected claims of Chinese language authorities involvement within the firm, claiming it supported and promoted its home-grown companies in the identical means the UK authorities helps its personal – pointing to the promotion of Rolls Royce and British Metal to China by earlier British governments.

‘Everyone seems to be equal’

Mr Liu additionally stated experiences over China’s therapy of Uighur Muslims – together with accusations of pressured sterilisation – had been “lies cooked up by anti-China organisations” within the US, with “no factual grounds”.

He claimed a video he was confronted with on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Present, showing to point out Uighurs being blindfolded and led to trains, as a substitute confirmed “the switch of a bunch of prisoners” and “has nothing to do with the so-called detainment of huge numbers of Uighurs”.

He added: “China’s legislation doesn’t goal particular ethnic teams. Everyone seems to be equal earlier than the legislation”.

Media playback is unsupported in your gadget

Showing to reference the US, Mr Liu stated it was China’s “hope that the UK would resist the stress and coercion from a sure nation and supply an open, honest, clear and non-discriminatory surroundings for Chinese language funding in order to carry again the boldness of Chinese language companies within the UK”.

If the UK took this path, he stated, there could be “limitless prospects for China-UK co-operation” after Brexit and the tip of the Covid-19 disaster.

“It’s laborious to think about a world Britain that bypasses or excludes China,” stated Mr Liu.

“Decoupling from China means decoupling from alternatives, decoupling from development and decoupling from the longer term.”