Why a chill is creeping into China-UK ties

UK FOREIGN Secretary Dominic Raab said at the weekend that UK-China ties cannot return to "business as usual" post-coronavirus. His warning underlines that it is not just relations between Washington and Beijing that have been strained by the pandemic, and that this could have major international relations implications to come.

Relations between the United Kingdom and China had, even before the Covid-19 outbreak, cooled last year, following the political unrest in Hong Kong. Boris Johnson, who Mr Raab is standing in for at the moment as the prime minister recuperates from his bout of the virus, squarely defended the protesters at the time, much to Beijing's chagrin.

Last year too, a trip by-then Chancellor Phillip Hammond to China was cancelled after a speech by then-Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was perceived by Chinese officials as sabre-rattling. Mr Williamson asserted that London could deploy an aircraft carrier in the Pacific for its first operational cruise in 2021. This was very sensitive for Beijing, in part because it is involved in disputes with its neighbours over territorial claims in the South China Sea.