Cameron as UK foreign secretary: What it means for China relations

Former U.K. PM’s surprising return raises eyebrows of many who are concerned about his ‘pro-Beijing’ stance.
By Amelia Loi for RFA Cantonese
2023.11.14
London
Cameron as UK foreign secretary: What it means for China relations Britain's former Prime Minister and newly appointed Foreign Secretary David Cameron walks outside 10 Downing Street in London, Britain November 13, 2023.
Reuters

The dismissal of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary has triggered senior cabinet reshuffles in the United Kingdom. The biggest political shock was the appointment of former Prime Minister David Cameron as Foreign Secretary. During his tenure as prime minister, Cameron pioneered the “Golden Era” of U.K.-China relations. Since leaving office, he has been repeatedly revealed to have intricate ties with Beijing, even promoting the Belt and Road initiative on behalf of Beijing. How will his return as Foreign Secretary affect the future direction of U.K.-China relations?

The U.K. Prime Minister’s Office announced on Monday the appointment of former Prime Minister David Cameron as Foreign Secretary, and former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly as Home Secretary, replacing the sacked Suella Braverman. The Cabinet reshuffle was triggered by Braverman’s article for the Times newspaper, criticizing the London police for favouring pro-Palestinian protesters without the consent of the Prime Minister’s Office. She was criticized for inciting hatred and breaching the Cabinet’s code of conduct.

Cameron issued a statement emphasizing his willingness to help the incumbent prime minister at a time when the U.K. is facing serious international challenges, with his experience serving as leader of the ruling Conservative Party for 11 years and as prime minister for six years.

“Though I may have disagreed with some individual decisions, it is clear to me that Rishi Sunak is a strong and capable prime minister, who is showing exemplary leadership at a difficult time. I want to help him to deliver the security and prosperity our country needs and be part of the strongest possible team that serves the United Kingdom and that can be presented to the country when the General Election is held,” Cameron said on Nov. 13 via his official X account

It is worth noting that during his tenure as prime minister of the U.K from 2010 to 2016, Cameron ushered in a “golden era” of U.K.-China relations, vigorously promoting economic and trade co-operation with China on various fronts. He led a delegation of four cabinet ministers and nearly 50 British business leaders to Beijing in November 2010, while Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the U.K. in October 2015, pushing relations between the two countries to a peak.

Warning from intelligence agencies

Cameron resigned in 2016 to take responsibility for the outcome of the EU referendum and was appointed by the U.K. Treasury the following year to lead a U.K.-China investment fund to invest in projects related to China’s Belt and Road initiative.But the program came to an end as relations between two nations took a turn for the worse over issues such as Hong Kong.

In July this year, the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) of the U.K. Parliament cited confidential evidence that Cameron’s U.K.-China investment fund was to some extent orchestrated by the Chinese government in order to increase the credibility of investment in China and the Chinese brand. The Committee also used this evidence to support the claim that China had infiltrated the U.K. economy and criticized the British government for failing to respond to the Chinese threat. It was also revealed that Cameron’s speech in the Middle East in September this year promoted the Port City Colombo project in Sri Lanka as part of China’s Belt and Road program.

Integrity questioned

David Alton, a member of the U.K. House of Lords, who is known for his hard-line stance against China, told RFA Cantonese that the warnings issued by the ISC against Cameron were troubling, and called into question its integrity and impartiality.

“It is unfortunate that the Prime Minister Sunak and the Home Secretary James Cleverly have turned their backs on the Chinese Communist Party’s political and human rights abuses against Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Uyghur people and have instead increased their economic dependence on China, which does not bode well,” said Alton. 

“I hope Cameron recognizes the disasters and mistakes of the ‘golden age’ of Britain and China, but I have never heard of him changing his position, quite the opposite.”

Sam Goodman, director of policy and advocacy at Hong Kong Watch, a U.K-based human rights organization, also raised his concerns over Cameron. 

“There are still big questions about Cameron’s relationship with China and his personal finances,” Goodman told RFA Cantonese. “Is he receiving money directly from the Chinese government? That remains a question. And, of course, what does this mean for British foreign policy? He is now the Foreign Secretary, the most senior diplomat in the U.K., and will be in charge of U.K.-China relations.”

Goodman added that during his tenure as prime minister, Cameron not only cooperated with China in the fields of economy, trade and agriculture, but also allowed China to get involved in sensitive British industries, including airport construction and nuclear power projects and even allowed Chinese firm Huawei to participate in the British 5G network project. 

The British government has spent at least 2.1 billion pounds (US$ 1 billion) so far to correct the mistakes made during its tenure, Goodman claimed. 

Sunak’s ‘risky step’

Luke de Pulford, executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, described Cameron’s decision to become foreign secretary as “incomprehensible” and “perverse.”

However, Sam Hogg, founder and editor-in-chief of Beijing to Britain, a news platform that focuses on U.K.-China relations, told RFA Cantonese the British government had already left Cameron’s “golden age.” Hogg said even if Cameron returns to the political arena, he will not bring any significant changes to U.K.-China relations, despite what hawkish people think.

Instead, Hogg is more concerned about what Cameron’s declaration of interests will reveal, and believes that his work after leaving office as prime minister should be carefully scrutinized.

Although Sunak made it clear that the “golden era” of U.K.-China relations was over when he delivered his foreign policy speech in November last year, he has made frequent U-turns in the past year, not only breaking his election promise to close the Confucius Institute, but also sending high-level officials to visit China. He recently even went against all odds and invited China to send personnel to attend the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Security Summit hosted by the U.K.

The U.K Foreign Office did not respond to RFA's request for comment of the appointment.

Goodman believes that Cameron’s appointment as Foreign Secretary is a move to allow Cameron to deal with difficult diplomatic issues such as the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine, so that Sunak can focus on economic development, and to unite the divided Conservative Party in preparation for next year’s General Election. 

However, Goodman also said that this could lead to attacks from the opposition Labour Party and opposition from hawks in the Conservative Party, which may ultimately be counterproductive.

Translated by RFA staff. Edited by Elaine Chan and Mike Firn.

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