Yvette Cooper has accused opposition critics of "cancel culture" foreign policy as she defended the Labour Government's warming relations with China on a two-day visit to the country. The Foreign Secretary said the Tories had presided over a "withdrawal of engagement" despite Beijing's increasing prominence, as she argued that dealing with the world's second-largest economy was key to UK security.
Critics have pressured Labour to take a harder line on China amid concerns over national security and human rights issues, while the Government insists it will co-operate where it can and challenge where it must.
Cooper's Defence of Engagement
"I think there was a withdrawal of engagement from the UK Government and we've seen it maintained in the Conservative Party's position now," Ms Cooper said. "It does feel as though the approach the Conservatives and Reform have taken to our engagement with China is to say we should not be engaging with China despite what a significant power it is in the world."
She added: "You have the Liberal Democrats saying we shouldn't send His Majesty the King to the US on a state visit; you have the Greens criticising our engagement with India and also saying we shouldn't be engaging with the US administration, and so it does feel like there has become a kind of foreign policy cancel culture which is really damaging to the UK, to a sensible approach to UK foreign policy."
Rejection of Blair's Criticism
The Foreign Secretary also rejected Sir Tony Blair's recent criticism of the UK's treatment of the US, saying the ex-Labour leader sometimes appeared intent on "trigger(ing) everybody into responding" with his interventions. Referring to an essay published last month by the former prime minister, in which he rebuked the Government's initial refusal to allow US planes striking Iran access to British air bases, she said she did not agree with the view "that you should always just do the approach the US takes."
"I've seen lots of essays from Tony Blair over the many years, and sometimes I think he sets out to trigger everybody into responding, but look – he sets out serious arguments," Ms Cooper said. She said that while America was the UK's closest security partner, "we also have a sovereign foreign policy and it's our job to make decisions about what's in the UK national interest, not simply to agree with the US approach."
"I think we've learnt the lessons from Iraq," she said, adding that he had failed to address "the importance of international law" and rather "describes something which is around great power politics."
Discussions on Key Issues
On her first visit to the country, Ms Cooper faced questions about the extent to which she challenged China on issues like Russia's war in Ukraine and imprisoned pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy 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 Mr Lai's 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."
Principled Diplomacy
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."
Welcoming her in Beijing's opulent state building, the Chinese vice-president said an "important consensus" had been reached during Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's visit earlier this year after the two leaders agreed to move forward with a "comprehensive strategic dialogue" – a framework for deepening co-operation amid heightened geopolitical volatility. "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 is travelling with "burner" phones throughout the trip in a sign of ongoing concerns over Chinese espionage.
Cultural Visit and Future Talks
Ms Cooper also 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 fly to Shenzhen, a major technology hub, where she will 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. Those bilateral talks are also expected to include discussion of the Middle East, with a focus on maritime security as Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and amid ongoing escalation around the key global shipping lane.
Opposition Reactions
The Liberal Democrats accused the Government of focusing on "appeasing China," while the Tories said Ms Cooper was "cosying up to the CCP" following Sir Keir's "surrender tour" on his visit to the country in January. "It is deeply concerning to see the Foreign Secretary brush aside vital human rights issues as mere 'foreign policy cancel culture.' Standing up for British citizens, international law, and fundamental democratic values is the very definition of a principled and robust foreign policy," Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller said.
"That should have started with the Foreign Secretary demanding the immediate, unconditional release of Jimmy Lai, whose imprisonment violates free speech and the Sino-British Joint Declaration. While engagement with major global economies is necessary, a robust relationship requires honesty and challenge from both sides. This Labour Government appears to be focused only on appeasing China. There needs to be consequences, not just quiet words, when China abuses British passport holders and harms our national interest."
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said of the trip: "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 too. This is little more than a distraction from the scandal engulfing the Government – which involves 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. Only the Conservatives will put our country first."
