Britain vows not to shy away from talking human rights with Xi after warning from Chinese ambassador not to interfere
British ambassador Barbara Woodward says UK wants frank exchanges with Chinese president during his visit, which is expected to see HK$300 billion in deals signed
Britain is “certainly not lecturing” President Xi Jinping on human rights, although it will not avoid discussing such issues during his state visit next week, the British ambassador to China Barbara Woodward said on Friday.
Woodward’s remarks followed comments from her counterpart, ambassador Liu Xiaoming, a day ago that Xi would feel offended if he were dictated to about China’s human rights record.
Britain did not plan “public lectures”, Woodward told a press conference in Beijing prior to Xi’s five-day visit, which begins on Monday.
“But on all subjects, we do want to make sure that we and the president of China and his officials can have open and frank exchanges on areas we agree, and on areas we perhaps don’t agree,” she said.
Liu said China did not shy away from discussing human rights but said they could not be used as a vehicle by others to interfere in Chinese affairs, Reuters reported.
British media reported the opposition leader, Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, has promised to raise human rights issues during their meeting. Britain is trying to secure a package of massive deals during Xi’s visit, such as China’s £25 billion (HK$299.82 billion) investment in the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant.
