Chloe is a Hong Konger and a former Bloomberg reporter who covered pivotal subjects, including prominent court proceedings, with a particular emphasis on cases tied to the Hong Kong unrest and the national security law.
“I think that the amount of infiltration, spying that has taken place is a sign that we cannot be complacent about China,” said the new Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch at the Conservatives Party Conference in response to my question (from 2:04:40). Below is the full transcript:
“I think that the amount of infiltration, spying that has taken place, is a sign that we cannot be complacent about China. I have shied away from calling China a threat, because I think that if you escalate in language, then you need to be ready in escalate in action.
I have tried to do other things as trade secretary supporting Taiwan, and making sure that …. those people who are our allies are supported. But we are very complacent about certainly the economic threat that China is putting on the whole world.
When I would go to WTO meetings, everybody was worried about China. Japan was worried about China, India, the USA, Brazil, all of the EU, us. We are not alone in this. What we need to make sure is that, we have a resilient economy that is not economically coerced by bigger countries.
That means being very focused about what we do well, making sure that we are able to manufacture if we are every in a dangerous position, increasing food security, increasing supply chains. That is how we deal with the threat that is coming from China.”
I want to return to that line “… We are very complacent about certainly the economic threat that China is putting on the whole world.” With all due respect, it is wrong to divide this into a segmented threat.
China is not only an economic threat to the world. It is also a threat to democracy, human rights, and freedom, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, press freedom, academic freedom, and freedom of religion and beliefs.
In her first email as the party leader to members on Sunday, she reiterated the conservative values that her principles-based campaign focused on. The first two values were freedom and family.
Freedom comes first.
“I have shied away from calling China a threat because I think that if you escalate in language, then you need to be ready to escalate in action,” Kemi admitted honestly.
Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner called in plans for the giant Chinese embassy in East London, a plan that the previous government axed. Then, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves’s adviser, Kamella Hudson, facilitated high-level UK government meetings with the Chinese fast-fashion firm Shein. Need not to mention that back in August, the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, declined to call China a threat and refused to recognise the Uyghur genocide despite a United Nations ruling.
Indeed, these are just the beginning; this government is only four months in, and it is already showing how much they are willing to kowtow to Beijing, close a blind eye on a Thames-river-long list of human rights violations conducted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Family is the second value after freedom.
As one of the 200,000 Hong Kongers who fled home to rebuild their lives, the UK is home now. Many of us are forced to cut ties with our families in Hong Kong, not knowing when we will meet again. All because the CCP is in “an ongoing state of non-compliance” with the Sino-British Joint Declaration, demolishing all aspects of human rights in the city. If the CCP can break their promises to Hong Kong, why would it honour any agreement with the rest of the world?
Evidently, this government has chosen to continue to be complacent, fail to address all these threats from China, and refuse to listen to the advice from our very own MI6, and also the CIA. No matter how we are able to manufacture or increase the supply chains, the CCP will co-control everything, and there will be nothing we can do about it.
As the new leader of the opposition, when does Kemi Badenoch think the UK is ready to escalate action toward China? After more damage is done by this government? More penetrations of systems and institutions ? More cyberattacks on our parliamentarians? Or more questionable forced labour supply chain firms listed on our stock market?
We are witnessing what is happening in Taiwan. If we are still incapable of seeing China as not just an economic threat to the world but also a threat to freedom, democracy, human rights, values, dignity and integrity, Western countries will be the next Hong Kong before you know it.
As the saying goes, “Today Hong Kong, Tomorrow the World”.
