‘It’s so embarrassing!’ Commentator fumes at Rachel Reeves for saying the UK has ‘no choice’ but to engage with China
Political commentator Madeline Grant has slammed Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ ongoing visit to China, calling it “deeply embarrassing” that Britain is going “cap in hand” to Beijing.
Speaking to GB News, Grant criticised Reeves’ assertion that not engaging with China was “no choice at all,” which the Chancellor wrote in The Times on Friday night.
The comments come as Reeves continues her controversial trip to China, which she refused to cancel despite pressure from opposition parties over market turmoil at home.
Grant accused the government of showing no recognition of China’s recent actions on the global stage.
She told GB News: “I just find it so deeply embarrassing that we’re going cap in hand to China.
“There seems to be no recognition of China’s actions on the global stage in recent years.
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“No recognition of a genocide taking place, no recognition of the fact that it’s, I think, highly credible that the Covid virus originated in China.
“There’s increasingly compelling evidence that it might have emerged from a lab and leaked out that way.
“It’s just kind of shocking to me that this is all happening at a time when so many other countries are allies, in Europe and further afield, are taking precisely the opposite approach to China.”
The Chancellor flew to China on Friday accompanied by Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and other senior executives.
She met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Beijing today to discuss financial services, trade and investment.
The Treasury said making working people across Britain “secure and better off” would be at the forefront of Reeves’ mind during the visit.
While in Beijing, Reeves also visited British bike brand Brompton’s flagship store before heading to Shanghai for talks with business representatives.
The visit marks the first UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue since 2019.
The visit is part of Labour’s strategy for a “pragmatic” policy with the world’s second-largest economy.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was the first British leader to meet with China’s President Xi Jinping in six years during the G20 summit in Brazil last autumn.
The approach marks a shift from the previous Conservative government’s stance, which had taken a more robust position on differences with China.
Labour’s new direction particularly focuses on human rights, Hong Kong and allegations of Chinese espionage.