The UK government has defended its decision to send a senior military official to a reception at the Chinese Embassy, held to celebrate the 97th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
This comes amid concerns over recent cyberattacks allegedly linked to China and the country’s increasing military aggression in the South China Sea.
In a written question to the Ministry of Defence, Lord Alton of Liverpool asked what consideration had been given to “the recent hack of the Electoral Commission and the alleged hack of the Ministry of Defence by China, and its aggressive military action in the South China Sea, before authorising the attendance of the UK’s Air Vice-Marshall at a recent reception at the Chinese Embassy to celebrate the 97th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army.”
Responding to Lord Alton’s query, Lord Coaker, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence, said:
“The Government is taking a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests, by co-operating where we can as fellow permanent members of the UN Security Council. But we will also compete where we have different interests and challenge where we must, to protect our national security and values.”
He further explained the rationale for the attendance at the PLA anniversary reception, stating: “The bilateral defence relationship with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) plays an important role in this, including recent senior military attendance at the PLA Anniversary Reception in London, where UK attendance was agreed in June 2024.”
While the UK maintains its stance of collaboration with China on shared global interests, recent allegations of cyberattacks and growing military assertiveness in the South China Sea have strained relations.
Our consistent approach is we do what they pay for and avoid direct confrontation and allow the Chinese secret police stations in the UK to continue intimidation of Chinese families
You mean those ‘brown paper bags’ our politicians like taking?
What hypocrites, at MoD!
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
My first thought as well. I’ve no issues with this at all. Even enemies can show respect.
Why would we not send RN personnel to an embassy function of the country with the world’s largest navy. We are at peace with China and China has not actually invaded anyone (Tibet aside). If we keep acting in a war like manor we are likely to get sucked into another war with no benefit to the UK.
British interest’s now very much stop at Singapore if not Diego Garcia. Our support for the pacific should very much be measured in the support of pacific countries including the US for Ukraine.
Tibet, but also invaded India, Vietnam, Korea, plus seized & annexed the SCS Is that Phillipines, Indonesia etc had far greater claim & proximity to. Promising to invade Taiwan too. The CCP is not our pal & they exist to keep their people brutally subjected & misled. We’re dangerously dependent on Chinese manufacturing, have vital trade ties with S Korea, Japan, Taiwan etc, so we blatently have interests in the region way beyond Singapore.
Love China, hate the CCP.
Starmer and Co will suck up to the Chicoms in anyway possible. Their silence on the Uiger is proof of that.
That’s funny, the Tories tried to get China to build nuclear power stations in the UK and to build HS2 and allowed Chinese electronics to be a big part of our 5G network, not to mention letting them buy and own UK Power Networks. It took a massive train crash in China to have them removed from HS2 , the whole nuclear power program was so incredibly slow that it never really happened and massive pressure was required to get them out of 5G and UK Power Networks is majority still owned by Chinese companies.
a/ I am not a tory b/ I detest politicians c/ I want what is best for my country
But you are obviously cherry picking who you criticise.
All very true. And I’ve often voted Tory.
So wrong, all of it.
The fact that they (UK Government) have said they are exploring opportunities would indicate you are 100% correct. If they get their planning app through Tower Hamlets council for their new embassy on the old Royal Mint site there’ll be no stopping them. Right next to the Tower of London and even bigger than the new(ish) US Embassy. Is there such a need for such a large embassy in a heritage area?
Always useful to see & hear what people are saying at these events. Even when we’re at war our respective embassies co-exist in most pther nations worldwide. This is just how embassies work, never an endorsement of the regime.