Yvette Cooper was today accused of 'cosying up' to China as she continued Labour's bid to forge closer ties with Beijing. The Foreign Secretary is using her first visit to the country to explore future UK-China trade opportunities as the Government scrambles to boost economic growth. It follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer's own visit to China in January, while Chancellor Rachel Reeves made a three-day trip last year.
But Labour's efforts to woo Beijing have been repeatedly criticised amid concerns over China's human rights record, its support for Russia, and the jailing of pro-democracy activists. As Ms Cooper arrived in Beijing, senior Tory MP Priti Patel - the shadow foreign secretary - claimed Labour 'lacks the backbone' to stand up to China. She called on the Foreign Secretary to push for the release of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a British citizen, who is currently imprisoned in Hong Kong.
But Ms Cooper dismissed what she described as 'cancel culture' foreign policy as she defended Labour's warming of relations with China. 'As if Keir Starmer's surrender tour earlier this year wasn't enough, his Foreign Secretary is now in Beijing cosying up to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) too,' Dame Priti said.
The shadow foreign secretary added: 'This is little more than a distraction from the scandal engulfing the Government – which involves (Peter) Mandelson's links to China as well as to a convicted paedophile – and the civil war raging at the top of the Labour Party. Cooper should be pushing for the release of Jimmy Lai. But Labour lack the backbone to stand up to China.'
Speaking at the start of her trip, Ms Cooper stressed the importance of the UK's engagement with China, the world's second largest economy, at a time of heightened global instability. Britain's approach has been one of 'standing up for our country', the Foreign Secretary added, amid pressure on the Government to take a harder line on China over issues like the treatment of the Uighur population, as well as Mr Lai.
She told reporters 'of course' she had raised the case of the detained British citizen, but did not go into detail when asked whether progress had been made on the prospect of his release after meeting Chinese vice-president Han Zheng and her counterpart Wang Yi on Tuesday. China's relationship with Russia, with which it has shared enduring strategic ties following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, was also discussed.
Asked whether she raised accusations against Beijing of propping up Vladimir Putin's war economy with foreign minister Mr Wang, Ms Cooper told reporters she had discussed Russia's 'appalling escalation towards civilians'. Pressed on whether President Xi Jinping's government should be doing more to bring an end to Moscow's invasion, she said it is 'an issue where the UK and China have had disagreements'. She said: 'We've certainly discussed the importance of putting pressure on Russia, now, in order to bring them to the table, to peace negotiations. Obviously there are other areas where we have co-operation, but it's important we have those frank and constructive discussions.'
Ms Cooper added: 'I think at a time like this, in order to pursue UK interests, UK values, we need that principled diplomacy and engagement with major powers like China, contrary to some of the really foreign policy cancel culture that we've heard from others who said we should disengage. It's only by having these talks and discussions that actually we can make the UK stronger back at home.'
The Foreign Secretary earlier acknowledged there are 'areas of disagreement' between London and Beijing. But she insisted that approaching discussions with 'candour and respect' would help increase mutual understanding of one another. Welcoming Ms Cooper in Beijing's opulent state building, the Chinese vice-president said an 'important consensus' had been reached during Sir Keir's visit earlier this year. 'Their important consensus has opened a new chapter for bilateral ties,' Mr Han said. 'We need to intensify interactions and strengthen dialogue and co-operation for the sake of world peace and stability and for the growth of our respective economies.' He said 'shouldering our responsibilities as major countries' together and moving steadily forward with strategic ties would bring 'great benefits to our two countries as well as the entire world'.
Despite the efforts to thaw what Sir Keir has dubbed a diplomatic 'ice age' between the two countries in recent years, the Foreign Office delegation are travelling with 'burner' phones throughout the trip in a sign of ongoing concerns over Chinese espionage. Ms Cooper later paid a cultural visit to the Forbidden City, where she was shown around the world's largest imperial palace complex by a tour guide before meeting Mr Wang for further talks at Diaoyutai State Guest House. She will later fly to Shenzhen, a major technology hub, where she said she would discuss potential trade links and also 'the challenges of the future of AI as it rapidly changes our world'. After concluding her China visit on Wednesday, the Foreign Secretary will travel to Delhi to meet her Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday.
