Not even 48 hours had passed since the UK Foreign Secretary called for warmer ties with China before the British papers warned of an impending “diplomatic storm” between London and Beijing.
James Cleverly last week expressed his desire for “robust and constructive” UK-China relations, much to the dismay of the Beijing-critical wings in the Conservative and Labour parties. The move also appeared not to provoke much of a feeling of goodwill within Xi Jinping’s administration, which soon after revealed it was sending a controversial figure to the upcoming coronation of King Charles.
An invitation was sent to Mr. Xi himself, as China’s head of state, but protocol allows for invited guests to send a replacement in their stead. Beijing chose Han Zheng, China’s vice president. Han was the figure behind China’s response to the 2019 Hong Kong protests, sparked after promises to uphold rights and freedoms were trashed. The Daily Telegraph said the visit could threaten a “diplomatic storm,” while the Daily Mail described Mr. Han’s appearance on the guest list as “incendiary.”
China critic Sir Iain Duncan Smith commented that Mr. Xi’s choice for his replacement shows Beijing is uninterested in improving its relations with the UK, noting that “Xi has no regard for us, he considers us weak.” On Mr. Han’s record, he added:
This is the man responsible for trashing the international treaty—the Sino-British accord—in the course of which the Hong Kong authorities have persecuted peaceful democracy campaigners. Having this man here given his role is outrageous.
The British government has, however, taken the apparent jab in its stride, even using it as an opportunity to further improve relations. Mr. Cleverly stressed that who China sends to the coronation “is rightly a decision for that country.” It was later revealed that he will meet Mr. Han this week during the Beijing official’s visit to London, during which an invitation to China could be on the cards. The Times reported that, should one be extended, “Cleverly would accept the invitation.” A government source also told the paper:
We do want to have a constructive engagement with China, even over areas where we profoundly disagree, and the coronation provides us with an opportunity to start that process. Clearly we are not going to invite ourselves to China but if an invitation is forthcoming we will look at that very seriously. But nothing is guaranteed.
