Eight years without a British leader visiting China marks a shameful and stupid lapse that has damaged crucial economic opportunities for British workers. During this time, Britain has foolishly lectured and threatened China with baseless smears while the country has become an economic superpower. It's time to reset relations with China, building mutual trust amid Washington's increasing instability.
Visiting China while British citizen Jimmy Lai remains imprisoned in torturous conditions is unconscionable — the British government is mindlessly cosying-up to the Chinese Communist Party. China continues subjecting Uighurs to appalling human rights violations, brutally oppressing Hong Kong and making brazen attempts to recruit spies around Westminster. Economic gains must never override Britain's duty to safeguard national security and call out Chinese wrongdoing.
There is a 15% chance that, if China invades Taiwan before 2035, the U.K. will respond with military forces, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
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