People News - UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is set to visit China this week, marking the highest-level visit to China by an official from the Labour government since it took office. His mission is to seek "reconciliation" and repair UK-China relations. However, there is a strong call from both inside and outside Parliament urging him to address human rights issues with Chinese officials. On Wednesday (16th), Prime Minister Keir Starmer made several commitments in Parliament regarding Lammy's visit and, for the first time, called for the immediate release of Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Digital.

Ahead of David Lammy’s visit to China, Prime Minister Keir Starmer was questioned in Parliament on Wednesday (16th) by former Prime Minister and Conservative opposition leader Rishi Sunak, who repeatedly pressed him on China-related issues. A key focus was the nearly four-year imprisonment of Jimmy Lai.

Starmer: The Jimmy Lai case is a priority

Sunak stated, "The House of Commons is concerned about the fate of democracy advocate Jimmy Lai. He is a British citizen and has been wrongfully imprisoned in Hong Kong for four years. The previous government pressured China for his release. Does the Prime Minister agree that this is a politically motivated prosecution, violating China’s legal obligations under the Sino-British Joint Declaration regarding Hong Kong?"

Starmer responded, "Yes, this case is a priority for the government. We are calling on the Hong Kong authorities to immediately release our British national. The Foreign Secretary raised this issue during his first meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister, and we will continue to do so."

This is the first time Starmer has publicly commented on the Jimmy Lai case since taking office. Foreign Secretary David Lammy also raised the case during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the ASEAN summit in late July.

Sunak presses on Taiwan Strait and China's sanctions

Sunak described China's recent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait as "unreasonable, aggressive, and intimidating," and cited reports that the UK government had obstructed a visit by former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to the UK. He asked whether Starmer could confirm that Lammy would "condemn China’s dangerous escalation in the Taiwan Strait" during his visit to China.

Starmer did not respond directly but criticized the ongoing military activities in the Taiwan Strait as "not conducive to peace and stability," emphasizing that stability in the Taiwan Strait is in everyone’s interest. He reaffirmed the Labour Party's "3C" approach to China: Cooperate, Compete, Challenge. This includes cooperation with China on issues like zero emissions, health, and trade; competition in areas of differing interests; and challenging China on matters concerning UK national security, values, and human rights.

The two also clashed over China’s influence and interference in academic freedom at UK universities. Starmer promised that Foreign Secretary Lammy would demand China lift sanctions on British MPs and agreed to sanction Chinese entities and individuals aiding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

MPs urge the government to recognize the reality of China under Xi Jinping

According to The Guardian, several British MPs sanctioned by China have written to Foreign Secretary Lammy, urging him to raise human rights issues with Chinese officials. The letter, signed by MPs such as Baroness Helena Kennedy, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, and former Minister for Health Neil O’Brien, calls on Lammy to address cases like Jimmy Lai’s and the "appalling treatment" of Uyghurs, and to express "deep concern" over China’s unilateral attempts to change the status quo in Taiwan.

The MPs urged the UK government to recognize "the real China" under Xi Jinping, which is not the China the West once hoped would improve after joining the WTO. They also warned that while there may be a "strong temptation" to prioritize short-term economic benefits over British values, this would ultimately harm the UK in the long run.

Civil organizations call for support for Hong Kong and Tibet

Outside Parliament, several groups, including the Free Tibet movement, arranged for publicity vehicles to circle Parliament on Tuesday (15th), calling on Lammy to support Tibet. In an open letter, they stated that if Lammy returned from China with job opportunities and investment promises but failed to express support for Tibet, it would amount to selling out the human rights of Tibetans and British citizens.

British human rights organization Hong Kong Watch and 23 other groups have also jointly urged Lammy to raise concerns with China over issues such as Article 23, the withholding of Mandatory Provident Funds (MPF) for BN(O) passport holders from Hong Kong, and the case of Jimmy Lai. They called on him to send a clear and strong message to China: human rights violations must come with consequences.