Cleverly has no regrets about visit to China despite alleged spy arrest
Public confirmation of the parliamentary researcher’s arrest came weeks after the Foreign Secretary’s visit.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said he has no regrets about his visit to China, after the arrest of a parliamentary researcher sparked concerns in Westminster.
Public confirmation of the arrest came only weeks after Mr Cleverly became the first Foreign Secretary in five years to visit China, amid efforts to develop more pragmatic ties with the country.
The arrest of the Briton – who maintains he is completely innocent – under the Official Secrets Act has led some Tory backbench “hawks” to renew calls for Rishi Sunak to take a tougher line on Beijing.
The news also sparked questions and debate about the influence and insights the major Asian power might hope to gain into parliamentarians.
The Sunday Times has cited concerns in Whitehall about how the staffer was reportedly able to access the parliamentary estate using a visitor pass, in part due to his links with senior Tories including security minister Tom Tugendhat and Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns.
Some people have said that we should disengage from China. That is not a credible option
Mr Cleverly refused to be drawn on what he knew of the arrest before his visit to China, citing a longstanding convention of not discussing intelligence matters.
He and the Prime Minister were pressed this week over whether the matter had been raised with Chinese officials during the trip.
Mr Cleverly told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “We do not comment on intelligence or security-related matters.
“The Prime Minister is absolutely right that both he and I raised with the Chinese authorities their actions which are seeking to undermine or distort our democracy.”
But Mr Cleverly insisted he did not regret the talks as he hit out at critics of the Government’s position on China.
“There is incredibly important work to do,” he said. “And the advocates of somehow ignoring China, pretending it doesn’t exist, not talking to China, not having an embassy in Beijing, and not having a Chinese embassy in the UK.
“Some people have said that we should disengage from China. That is not a credible option.
“When there is a difficult relationship – and this is a challenging and difficult relationship – it is more important rather than less important that you maintain those face-to-face communications.”