Britain’s foreign secretary defends trip to China in response to a barrage of criticism from colleagues

When British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly flew to China in late August, the BBC employed a striking military metaphor to describe his political dilemma.

A newsreader on the corporation’s flagship television bulletin, The Ten O’Clock News Hour, stated that Cleverly “was copping flak back at home from some within his own party for talking to an ever more repressive government.”

The word flak has its origins in the Second World War, as an acronym of the long German word fliegerabwehrkanone, meaning an anti-aircraft gun. When British pilots were shot at from the ground, they were said to be “copping flak.” The phrase is now applied to any situation in which someone is under a barrage of intense, adverse criticism.

The Financial Times, in an editorial on the visit published on August 31, concurred with the BBC that Cleverly “has come under fire from his own side” and identified his leading critic as Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a politician who is often outspoken on China, and is a former chairman of the governing Conservative Party.

Smith is one of a number of MPs sanctioned by China for speaking out about human rights issues. He dismissed the foreign secretary’s visit as “a waste of time,” saying that the government should not “bend a knee” to China.

A right-wing newspaper, the Daily Mail, quoted Smith as saying that Cleverly’s visit to Beijing “smells terribly” of 1930s-style “appeasement.” This associates the trip with a policy Britain took toward Nazi Germany, when Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain allowed Hitler to expand territory in the hope of avoiding war.

Forced into defensive mode

In the face of such criticism from within his own ranks, the Foreign Secretary was forced into a defensive position during his short trip to China. His itinerary began with a meeting with Vice Premier Hán Zhèng 韩正, after which he headed to the residence of the British ambassador in Beijing.

While there, he spoke to the BBC’s China Correspondent, Stephen McDonell, for an interview that was widely used on TV, radio, and online.

Cleverly said: “I fundamentally disagree with those voices, including people I regard as good friends, who want us to disengage from China. I don’t think that is an option. I do believe we have influence and I do believe we should use that influence.”

McDonell then asked him:

“Can you point to any example when trips to China have led to a change to human rights on the ground here, something concrete?”

Cleverly replied:

“I’m realistic that that influence is not going to have an instant reaction. Which is why we have to be patient and consistent. That is why I bring up issues around human rights, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and indeed individual cases every time I have a meeting with representatives of the Chinese government.”

Challenging the CCP

Following the media interview, Cleverly then headed into a meeting with Foreign Minister and State Counsellor Wáng Yì 王毅.

The British Foreign Office said that Cleverly told Wang that China has a responsibility to press Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine, diffuse tensions in the South China Sea, and cease malign activity in cyberspace.

He also apparently challenged China on “the erosion of autonomy, rights, and freedoms in Hong Kong under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law, as well as other U.K. interests, including sanctions placed on U.K. MPs.”

Chinese official media outlets, such as Xinhua, filtered out the contentious material, emphasizing that the hosts tried to keep the focus on “economic and trade cooperation” and “creating a sound business environment.”

Optimism in the business camp

Cleverly also held a brief meeting with around 15 British business leaders whose companies have a presence in China.

Reporters were not invited to cover the discussion, but it appears that some members of the delegation are frustrated by the many negative headlines about the slowdown in Chinese growth, which have appeared prominently in the mainstream press.

Chris Torrens, the vice chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China and an executive at the consultancy Control Risks, told Bloomberg that China’s economy isn’t as bad as the “prevailing mood” suggests. He said “growth is moving in the right direction” as consumer spending picks up. “I don’t actually buy the notion that the Chinese economy is in serious systemic trouble,” he said. “Sitting here in Beijing and traveling around China, I’m seeing more consumer spending.”

To Taiwan next?

Cleverly carried with him an official message from 10 Downing Street to the Zhongnanhai. He told Wang Yi, “Ultimately it is important for our prime minister and your president to have the opportunity to speak directly.”

This signals that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hopes to hold a bilateral meeting with Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 at the Group of 20 summit, which is due to be held later this month in New Delhi, although reports this week indicate that Xi might skip the meeting.

There is also an intriguing debate about the possibility of an official British ministerial trip to Taiwan. Alicia Kearns, Conservative chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said on X (formerly Twitter) that Cleverly should balance the visit to Beijing with a trip to Taipei to show that the U.K. has not abandoned the island.

She said: “It is imperative he steadfastly and vocally stands by Taiwan and makes it clear we will uphold its right to self-determination. This commitment aligns not only with British values but also serves as a message to autocratic regimes that sovereignty cannot be undermined through violence or coercion.”

When The China Project contacted the Representative Office of Taipei in London about Kearns’s suggestion, a spokesperson replied that they would be pleased to welcome Cleverly, should he wish to visit the island.

However, such a trip would be without diplomatic precedent. Britain abides by the so-called “One China” policy and thus has no official ties with Taiwan. There have been no recent visits to Taipei by serving foreign ministers from the EU or the G7. When United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei last summer, Beijing launched intense military exercises in response.

Officials in the British Foreign Office said that although Cleverly mentioned Taiwan in his talks with Han Zhang and Wang Yi, it was not a major theme of their discussions.