At the Lord Mayor of London's Banquet on Monday, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made his first statement on foreign policy since assuming office last month.
According to the news agency, on Monday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reaffirmed the United Kingdom's commitment to a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India as part of the larger focus the country is placing on strengthening its ties with the Indo-Pacific region. The statements that Sunak made were made in the context of the greater attention that the United Kingdom is placing on strengthening its connections with the area.
Since taking over at 10 Drowning Street a month ago, Sunak delivered his first address on foreign policy on Monday night at the Lord Mayor of London's Banquet. The event was held at the Guildhall. The speech was his very first opportunity to address the public on the subject.
During the course of his speech, the Prime Minister took some time to reflect on the history of his family and on his commitment to maintaining traditional British values such as tolerance and candour wherever he travels. When it came to China, he vowed to alter the way things were done and declared that China offers a systemic threat to the values and interests of the United Kingdom. He was referring to China as the People's Republic of China.
"Before I joined politics, I had a career as an investor in businesses that were situated in every region of the world. In addition to this, the prospects in the area of the Indo-Pacific are quite alluring "according to the article from the news agency, Sunak added his commentary.
"By the year 2050, the Indo-Pacific region will be responsible for more than half of the world's growth, while the entirety of Europe and North America combined will be responsible for only a quarter of the growth. Because of this, we are taking part in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), negotiating and delivering a new free trade agreement (FTA) with India, and working toward negotiating and delivering one with Indonesia "he said.
He went on to say that he wants to change the approach that the United Kingdom takes while simultaneously distancing his government from a slogan that was used by the previous Conservative Party-led government to describe bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and China just over seven years ago. The slogan in question was "open for business," and it was used to describe the relationship between the United Kingdom and China.
"Let's get one thing straight: the so-called "golden period" has come to an end, and with it, the foolish concept that increasing commerce would lead to changes in society and politics. Both of these ideas have run their course. However, we shouldn't place an excessive amount of faith in the simplistic rhetoric that was used during the cold war. We are conscious that China poses a systemic risk to not just our interests but also our core principles, and that this risk will only increase if China continues to go in the path of increasing authoritarianism." He reportedly gave a warning, as reported by the news agency.
Sunak also confirmed that a revised "Integrated Review" will be published in the new year, which will contain additional information on the future of the United Kingdom's foreign policy. The topic of closer collaboration with the Commonwealth will also be covered in this review. The most recent vote on Brexit is directly responsible for the confirmation of Sunak.
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