China's Shandong aircraft carrier (Photo: BI)
"I urge China to be open about the doctrine and intentions behind its military expansion, because transparency is in everyone's interest and secrecy can only increase the risk of serious miscalculation," British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on April 24.
Mr Cleverly said Britain was ready to seek increased cooperation with allies in the Indo- Pacific and called on China to be clear about its intentions.
Trying to isolate China would be a mistake and Beijing needs to be involved in areas such as climate change, pandemic prevention, economic stability and nuclear non-proliferation, the British Foreign Secretary said.
However, Mr Cleverly insisted that Britain would defend its national security interests and would criticise China if it breached its international obligations or violated human rights.
Relations between Britain and China are at their worst in decades, with London restricting Beijing’s investments over national security concerns. Britain is also concerned about China’s growing economic and military assertiveness.
Source
Comment (0)