Beijing ready to put relations with UK on right path: Chinese Premier
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang congratulates Liz Truss on becoming Britain's PM and says ready for developing bilateral ties, ignoring the latter's earlier vow to announce China as a threat to her country.
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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang
On Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang congratulated Liz Truss on winning the leadership race for the governing UK Conservative (Tory) party, saying that Beijing was ready to work with London with an aim to develop bilateral ties along the right path, Chinese media reported.
The stable development of China-UK ties goes back to key interests of the two nations' populations, Li said in his message to Truss, as cited by the Chinese news agency Xinhua.
Li also reportedly expressed China's desire to work with the UK for long-term stability in relations based on mutual respect.
Meanwhile, Liz Truss reportedly said on August 29, before the election results, that she will announce China as posing a threat to the UK’s national security. The Times said "the foreign secretary has promised to reshape foreign policy if she becomes prime minister. She has pledged to reopen the integrated review, published last year, which set out British priorities in diplomacy and defence over the next decade."
Chinese analysts said the policy on China in countries such as the UK would not witness any drastic changes with the changing of leaders, and giving impetus to the "China threat" is one of the best options for politicians to try and veil the domestic issues their countries are experiencing instead of actually trying to solve them.
Truss summoned in August China's Ambassador to the UK, Zheng Zeguang, to "demand an explanation" for China's actions and rhetoric toward Taiwan. In a statement, Truss said, "I instructed officials to summon the Chinese ambassador to explain his country’s actions."
During a meeting with a senior British Foreign Ministry official, Zheng “firmly rejected and strongly condemned UK side’s irresponsible rhetoric about China’s legitimate and necessary response to US House Speaker’s Taiwan visit," as per the Chinese Embassy statement.
Truss became the new Tory head and UK PM on Tuesday, succeeding Boris Johnson who announced his resignation on July 7 after a series of scandals.
In a statement by UK's Queen Elizabeth II on Liz Truss' new cabinet formation, she announced that she is "pleased to approve the following appointments: The Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP as Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon James Cleverly MP as Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, … The Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP has been re-appointed as Secretary of State for Defence, The Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE MP as Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice."
Nadhim Zahawi was appointed as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and Minister for Equalities, Michelle Donelan as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Chris Heaton-Harris as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
These appointments also come after British Home Secretary Priti Patel and Culture Minister Nadine Dorries announced that they were stepping down ahead of the cabinet reshuffle due to incoming UK Prime Minister Liz Truss taking the country's reigns.
