‘Don’t interfere’: Chinese ambassador warns UK not to raise human rights when Xi Jinping visits
Liu Xiaoming suggests Chinese president’s trip could ‘herald a golden era for the relationship’.
China’s president, Xi Jinping, would feel offended if he is spoken to about Beijing’s human rights record during his five-day state visit to Britain next week, China’s ambassador to the UK has said.
Liu Xiaoming said Britain was fast becoming the leader in terms of western countries with the best relations with China, and said he expected Xi’s visit to “herald a golden era for the relationship”.
But Liu suggested the president would not respond well if reprimanded on human rights during his visit.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, has already promised to raise human rights issues next week, probably at a state banquet organised by the Queen. He has also been afforded a meeting with the Chinese leader at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening before the banquet.
Read more: Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Britain is a pragmatic step to building a new world order
No 10 will be desperate that Corbyn does not make his views known in a way that offends the Chinese or jeopardises much-needed Chinese investments in UK infrastructure, including its nuclear power plants.