Speaking to the BBC’s Today Programme this morning Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab set out the principles behind the Government’s new strategic review into global Britain, from hard military power to trade, aid, and cultural clout. One of the most significant aspects of the report is the so-called ’tilt to the East’, which involves a more pragmatic and nuanced official relationship with China than many backbenchers would like to see…

Raab explained that on the rising red giant “there are issues like trade and investment where of course there are positives there, but we need to protect things like our intellectual property, our telecoms infrastructure.” The UK’s approach will not rule out targeted sanctions on individuals but will avoid national boycotts. It will seek “constructive engagement” on areas like climate change, while taking measures like the BN(O) visa to protect the freedoms of Hong Kongers. Tellingly Raab said:

“We don’t want to, it wouldn’t make sense, I don’t think it would be feasible to go into some old, outdated, Cold War mentality with China.”

Guido got the distinct impression that the Government thinks it cannot properly stand up for open societies and human rights by being too comprehensively confrontational or closing off trade. Raab was walking a tightrope between holding China to account whilst looking at areas for cooperation. Raab summed the situation up by saying “China is here to stay”…