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Rishi Sunak has been accused of having no clear strategy on China, leaving the UK’s future security “handicapped”.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Sir Keir Starmer said the PM failed to heed warnings and was “desperately playing catch up”, during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Labour leader repeated his call for a “full audit of UK-China relations”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mr Sunak said the UK had the “most robust policy” on China it had ever had and was in line with the country’s international allies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It comes amid ongoing controversy about the arrest, in March, of a parliamentary researcher on suspicion of working as a Chinese agent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n- Security services warn over Chinese spying in politics<\/li>\n
- Spy claims turbocharge debate on UK’s China stance<\/li>\n
- Parliament researcher rejects China spying claims<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The man, who was one of two arrested under the Official Secrets Act, has issued a statement through lawyers saying he is “completely innocent”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sir Keir said it was a “serious security concern”, adding that some MPs face sanctions, intimidation and threats from the Chinese state.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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He asked the prime minister if Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had raised concerns about the alleged spy when he held talks with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing last month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mr Sunak said: “The Foreign Secretary raised these issues with the Chinese foreign minister who he met, as did I when I had my meeting with premier Li (Qiang) over the weekend.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sir Keir replied: “Well, that certainly wasn’t a yes.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The Labour leader said Mr Sunak’s claims that the UK had a robust policy on China were at odds with a report by Parliament’s intelligence and security committee July this year. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“That (report) set out that the government has no clear strategy when it comes to China,” said Sir Keir.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“This has been raised time and time again. But, yet again, the prime minister fails to heed the warnings and he’s now desperately playing catch up. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“So, will he finally commit to the full audit of UK-China relations which so many in this House have so long demanded?”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mr Sunak said it was Sir Keir who was “playing catch up” because the committee’s report relates to 2019 and 2020.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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“Since then the UK has launched a new integrated review refresh of the China strategy and has put in place “a range of new measures, including… the National Security Protective Agency”, he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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