Minister to China, G7, solar debates, trade figures
Parliament is back, baby
Hello,
Readers will be familiar by now with my fascination with how the outside world looks at Britain, and how Westminster seems largely unaware of their views. In this spirit, I want to share a post from Singapore's Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, which was written in response to a recent Economist article.
The Economist can’t resist sneering at us. It’s an instinct lodged deep in the unconscious of the British commentariat class. They can’t stand that a people they were accustomed to lecturing are now doing better than they are, across the board.
Take governance: DPM Lawrence will be our 4th PM in 59 years. Meanwhile, in the UK, Mr Rishi Sunak is their 4th PM in 4.9 years. Mr Boris Johnson, when he was PM, accepted a holiday worth £15,000, and £50,000 for renovations of his residence, from donors. In Singapore, anyone who did what Mr Johnson did would have been charged in court.
Or the economy: We started as a British colony, with a per capita GDP of USD 500. Now, it is more than USD 80,000. According to a recent Forbes report, we have the fifth highest GDP per capita in the world by PPP (purchasing power parity) terms. Well ahead of the UK.
Or our media: the Economist refers to our “docile press”. It obviously prefers a situation like in the UK, where one person can control major media outlets, and have politicians pay court to him, and where media owners can influence who gets elected, and who becomes PM. A similar situation in Australia was described, by a former Australian PM, as a cancer on democracy.
Or in the provision of social services: We provide our people, of all classes and races, with far better healthcare, housing and education.
Or in public safety: the law and order situation in London is well documented. Last year, across England and Wales, investigations into more than 330,000 vehicle crimes (including thefts and break-ins), or 85% of all cases reported, were closed without any suspect caught. In more than a hundred neighbourhoods, 0% of reported car thefts were solved. A situation like that would be unthinkable and unacceptable in Singapore, which has been ranked by Gallup as the safest country in the world since 2015. 95% of adults in Singapore feel safe walking alone at night.
Or in social cohesion: In the UK, a Tory party donor recently said, of a black MP, that looking at her makes him “want to hate all black women”. His party said all should just move on from the comments. That’s it.
In Singapore a person who makes such a comment is likely to be charged in court.
What price your sneer (sic)?
Elsewhere, I forced myself to read former Prime Minister Liz Truss’s new book, ‘10 Years to Save the West’. "Anybody doing business with China in Western nations should be regarded as a pariah", she concludes. Funnily enough, she failed to mention she got caught lobbying the Government on behalf of a constituent to ‘expedite’ defence exports to China at the beginning of the year. Pariah indeed.
- Sam Hogg, Editor
What you’ll learn in this briefing note
Which Minister is off to China, and what they’re talking about
Why MPs are concerned about solar power plans for the UK
What’s going on with the fallout from the Chinese-linked cyber campaigns
What the British public thinks about war with China
Planned tweaks to the National Security and Investment Act
Diplomacy Tracker
Politics
Busy week on the global stage for Global Britain. Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron was in Italy, meeting G7 Foreign Ministers, while Indo-Pacific Minister Anne Marie Trevelyan announced a trip to China.
As expected, the G7 meeting produced several statements relevant to China. The longest was from the communique on ‘addressing global challenges, fostering partnerships’, which included a significant chunk on China, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet, as well as stating “We recognize the importance of constructive and stable relations with China. We reaffirm the need to engage candidly with and express our concerns directly to China. China is a key interlocutor in addressing global challenges, and we stand ready to cooperate with China on areas of common interest.”
A separate communique discussed the situation in Ukraine. On China, it stated “We express our strong concern about transfers to Russia from businesses in the People’s Republic of China of dual-use materials and weapons components that Russia is using to advance its military production. This is enabling Russia to reconstitute and revitalize its defense industrial base, posing a threat both to Ukraine and to international peace and security. China should ensure that this support stops, as it will only prolong this illegal war of aggression in violation of the UN Charter and increase the threat that Russia poses to its neighbors.”
Late on Friday, it was revealed that Indo-Pacific Minister Anne Marie Trevelyan was en route to China. AMT will be “holding meetings with the authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as engagements with a cross section of society including UK businesses, academics, journalists and civil society,“ per the Government readout. Her trip follows that of her Labour shadow Catherine West less than a month prior. In a statement, Minister Trevelyan said:
“We need China to play a constructive role in the biggest foreign policy issues of the day like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. In Hong Kong, I will raise concerns on the passage and implementation of national security laws as well as discussing our important trade links. In Beijing I will be clear about our right to act when China breaks its international commitments or violates human rights. I will also look to strengthen UK-China cooperation on issues across the world that affect us all – from improving AI safety to tackling climate change. It is right we have discussions face to face and raise these issues directly with the centre of the Chinese system, making clear the UK’s position with the decision-makers in Beijing and Hong Kong.”
The British Government is still severely lacking behind international partners and allies when it comes to sending senior officials to China.