LONDON: United Kingdom Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has urged China to be more transparent about the “biggest military build-up surrounding Taiwan, warning its army activities carried the risk of a “tragic miscalculation.”
He devoted his entire keynote speech to China at a Mansion House banquet in London. He sketched his views on the relationship that has long left behind the so-called “golden era” under ex-prime minister David Cameron.
UK Navy’s active fleet
Cleverly noted that between 2014 and 2018, China launched the latest warships exceeding the combined tonnage of the UK navy’s entire active fleet and was building military bases in the South China Sea and beyond.
He advised China to be more open about the “doctrine and intent behind its military expansion”. He said, “Transparency is surely in everyone’s interests, and secrecy can increase the risk of tragic miscalculation.”
He warned of the potential “catastrophic” effects of any tussle over Taiwan, the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own.
He said that “No country could shield itself from the repercussions. Distance would offer no shield from this catastrophic blow to the world economy – and least China’s most of all. I shudder to contemplate a human and financial ruin that would follow,”
“It’s essential no party takes unilateral action to change the status quo.”
China hasn’t ruled out the use of force to secure unification and conducted the series of war games this month after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with Kevin McCarthy, House of Representatives Speaker, on a stopover in the US.
Beijing views Tsai, first elected in 2016, as a “separatist” who wants “independence”. She said it should be for the people of Taiwan to decide their future.
