A. Rahman
LONDON (AP) British Labour peer Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, whose sanctions from China were recently lifted, called the move a “small win” for the UK. She stressed that the real focus should be on freeing imprisoned British citizen and Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai.
Kennedy, a human rights lawyer, was one of several UK figures sanctioned by Beijing in 2021 for highlighting abuses against the Uyghur people. The sanctions hit seven parliamentarians, including crossbencher Lord Alton, Conservative MPs Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Nusrat Ghani, Tom Tugendhat, Neil O’Brien, and former MP Tim Loughton, plus legal expert Sir Geoffrey Nice KC and academic Jo Smith Finley. They were targeted for their work with the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China and for speaking out against Beijing’s actions.
This change came after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s three-day visit to Beijing, the first by a UK leader in almost eight years. He met with President Xi Jinping, and the talks led to the removal of these sanctions. Starmer said he raised concerns about Jimmy Lai, who’s facing charges under Hong Kong’s national security law, as well as the situation with the Uyghurs. The UK hasn’t lifted any of its own sanctions on Chinese officials in return, and it’s not clear if all the targeted people have had their restrictions fully removed.
Kennedy acknowledged it’s a step forward that previous governments under David Cameron and Boris Johnson couldn’t achieve. But she downplayed its importance, saying she hasn’t heard any updates on Lai, who’s been in detention for over 1,000 days. “They’ve gotten some concessions, at least,” she said. “But I’m not popping champagne over this. It’s a minor thing, and what really matters is getting Jimmy Lai released.”
Other sanctioned lawmakers feel the same way. They say it’s hard to celebrate while Lai is still locked up and Uyghurs continue to suffer. Starmer defended the results as proof that his approach to resetting ties with China is working.
The visit also brought other deals, like halving import duties on British whisky starting next week and making it easier for UK visitors to enter China. A full visa-free policy is still up in the air, though.
But not everyone’s impressed. Former security minister Tom Tugendhat slammed the agreement as “shockingly weak and harmful” to Britain’s standing in the world, especially since it didn’t push harder for Lai’s release and allowed a big Chinese embassy expansion. “This deal isn’t just bad for this trip; it weakens the UK’s position everywhere,” Tugendhat said, noting Lai’s imprisonment for what he called “simply telling the truth.”
Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, who was denied entry to Hong Kong last year without official sanctions likely to silence her criticisms, said any reset that ignores these quiet restrictions isn’t good enough. “The prime minister needs to ensure all MPs can call out the Chinese Communist Party without facing consequences,” she insisted.
Starmer’s partial warming of UK-China relations shows an attempt to juggle economic benefits with standing up for human rights. Still, it highlights deep ongoing disagreements over Beijing’s handling of Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
