British PM finalists challenge each other on China in televised debate
- Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak are vying to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister
- Conservative Party members will vote later this summer to choose a new leader, who is expected to become prime minister when Parliament returns on September 5
Britain’s relationship with China was one of several key issues that came to the forefront during the prime-time broadcast as Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak audition to succeed Johnson in Number 10 Downing Street.
“What we do need to do is acknowledge that China is a threat to our national security. It’s a threat to our economic security,” Sunak said. “We also need to stand up for our values. When it came to Hong Kong, I was pleased to ensure that we put the funding in place to welcome to this country thousands of people who left Hong Kong.”
Truss pushed back that Sunak was advocating for a closer trade relationship with China as recently as a month ago when he was still in government and said, “I’m delighted that you’ve come around to my way of thinking.”
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“Frankly, what we’ve heard from the Treasury is a desire for closer economic relations with China,” Truss said. “My view is we should not repeat the mistake we made with Russia of becoming strategically dependent on Russia.”