The UK should not repeat in its relations with China the mistakes it made in its relations with Russia. This was stated by British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss during the pre-election debate with former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak.
⠀
“In my opinion, we should not repeat the mistakes that we made with Russia, becoming strategically dependent on it,” the minister said (broadcast led by the BBC).
⠀
Truss stressed that the Foreign Ministry took a tough stance against “authoritarian regimes“, and she personally intends to “crack down” on the Chinese application TikTok.
⠀
Sunak and Truss, during the debate, accused each other of being too close to Beijing at one time.
⠀
Earlier, Truss drew attention to the fact that the British accuse Sunak of being soft on Russia and China, including being cautious about sanctions. Against this background, she promised that she would present herself as a “hawk” in relation to Russia and China in the struggle for the post of prime minister.
⠀
The head of the British Foreign Office also noted that the country is now facing a global economic shock due to the pandemic and hostilities in Ukraine. This is a turning point, she said: either Britain will continue to exist as usual, or be bold and start to change. Truss has described herself as a “rebel” because she wants to “make a difference“.
