China sees UK concessions as weakness, not diplomacy

The government's failure to act against alleged Beijing spies shows a worrying lack of spine, writes Mark L Clifford

- Mark L Clifford

Keir Starmer faces a test of nerve over Britain's handling of alleged Chinese espionage. The prime minister's instinct for caution – his preference for tidy processes and calm diplomacy – may serve him well in domestic politics, but when it comes to China’s global gamesmanship, it looks dangerously like weakness.

Beijing’s leaders, by contrast, have no qualms about playing hardball - never more so when it comes to accusing people of spying. China’s Communist Party doesn’t flinch at diplomatic fallout or trade reprisals. Indeed, espionage cases comprise one of the sharpest tools in its foreign policy kit. Over the past decade, dozens of foreigners - businesspeople, pastors, journalists - have been caught up in opaque prosecutions under the country’s national security laws.

This isn’t a bug in China’s system. It’s a feature. Accusations are vague, trials are secret, evidence is flimsy or nonexistent. Conditions in detention are harsh, and the notion of presumption of innocence is alien. China doesn’t live under the rule of law: it rules by law, wielding legislation as a hammer of state control.

Beijing has turned hostage diplomacy into an art form. In December 2018, Chinese authorities detained two Canadians, former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor, within days of Canada’s arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the request of US authorities. The message was unambiguous: two innocents would pay the price until Beijing got what it wanted.

For more than 1,000 days, the “two Michaels”, as they became known, endured grim conditions - much of the time in solitary confinement - while Meng awaited extradition in comfort, shopping in Vancouver boutiques. When Canada finally brokered a deal with China and the US freed Meng, the Canadians were released. Few episodes so clearly expose China’s readiness to use human lives as bargaining chips.