G20: Xi-Sunak meeting called off due to ‘scheduling issues’

Talks cancelled because of time pressures after today’s ‘snap meeting’ on missiles in Poland, according to tweet from the Guardian’s deputy political editor
The last in-person meeting between the leaders of Britain and China was in February 2018

China-UK relations

Kinling Loin Bali

Published: 3:41pm, 16 Nov 2022

Why you can trust SCMP

A scheduled meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was called off, prompting questions about ties between the two countries.

Had it occurred, the meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit would have been the first in-person bilateral talks between the leaders of the two countries in five years.

A Downing Street spokesperson said on Wednesday that the meeting was cancelled due to “scheduling issues”.

The Guardian’s deputy political editor Jessica Elgot tweeted that the meeting was cancelled “because of time pressures after the snap meeting this morning on the missiles in Poland”.

03:33

Xi, Biden discuss Taiwan and Xinjiang in first in-person meeting

US President Joe Biden held an emergency round table with leaders from Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom on Wednesday morning, after two people were killed in an explosion in Poland near the border with Ukraine.

The talks between Xi and Sunak were supposed to take place at around 3.30pm on Wednesday after the G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali officially ended.

Sunak did not address the cancelled meeting in his press conference following the end of the summit.

PM Sunak says Britain could send weapons to Taiwan

On Wednesday afternoon, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said of the cancelled meeting: “I have no information to share with you.”

“I would like to emphasise that China is committed to promoting the healthy and stable development of China-UK relations,” she added.

“We hope the UK works together with China.”

The last in-person meeting between the leaders of Britain and China was in February 2018, when former British prime minister Theresa May paid a three-day official visit to Beijing.

Sunak took office in October, becoming the United Kingdom’s third prime minister this year as the country struggled with a troubled economy.

Xi-Biden talks: Taiwan is still the big red line in China-US relations

He was expected to take a less hawkish stance towards China compared to his predecessor Liz Truss, who planned to elevate China’s status to that of a “threat” as part of a refresh of Britain’s foreign and defence priorities.

When travelling to the G20 summit with reporters on Tuesday, Sunak said China “poses a systemic challenge to our values and interests” and “represents the biggest state-based threat to our economic security”.

“We stand ready to support Taiwan, as we do in standing up to Chinese aggression,” Sunak said.

When asked whether selling arms to the self-ruled island was the right approach, Sunak said: “We’re considering all these things” as the UK government prepares its integrated review of foreign policy and defence.

The British government’s last review described China as a “systemic competitor”.

Sunak labelled China the “biggest long-term threat to Britain” and vowed to be tough on the country when he ran against Truss, who accused him of being weak on Beijing and Moscow. But he called for a “mature and balanced” relationship and closer economic ties with China when he spoke as finance minister in July of last year.

03:33

Xi, Biden discuss Taiwan and Xinjiang in first in-person meeting

Britain and China have clashed on several issues in recent years including human rights and democracy, despite their close trade links. London has often criticised Beijing on Uygur issues in Xinjiang and democratic freedoms in its former colony Hong Kong, and has blocked Huawei from its 5G telecoms network.

Last year, Britain joined the US and Australia in the Aukus security alliance, helping Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines to counter China’s military presence in the region.

Earlier this month, Beijing criticised British trade policy minister Greg Hands for visiting Taiwan for trade talks.

Shi Zhiqin, an international relations professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said China-UK ties had faced troubles in recent years.

“If a meeting could have taken place in Bali, the bilateral relationship would surely have got a positive push, just like that with the US. A face-to-face meeting could have addressed each other’s concerns better than shouting across the sky,” he said.

Additional reporting by Reuters and Liu Zhen