David Cameron’s shady links with China in spotlight after appointment as UK’s foreign secretary

In 2016, then-prime minister of UK David Cameron tendered his resignation following his failed Brexit gamble. Now, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has paved the way for his re-entry into politics as the country’s foreign secretary. And along with him came the baggage of his extremely close links to China.

Cameron has been accused of using his ties with China to shore up his bank balance, while sometimes going as far as putting the UK’s own geopolitical and economic security at risk.

According to a report by The Times, Cameron has been the focus of several ‘study tours’ organised by China, offering VIP access, opportunity to have dinner and “close-up exchange” to Chinese students, investors and officials. 

At a gathering in Beijing, Cameron once charged as much as £12,000 for a photo opportunity and dinner.

On several occasions, he has been seen heaping praises on China’s highly controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Regarding China’s role in Port City Colombo, Cameron once falsely claimed that the project was wholly owned and controlled by Sri Lanka. 

Financial records reveal, however, that the site’s development company is 100 per cent controlled by a Chinese state-owned entity.

Two years after leaving the PM office in 2016, Cameron is accused of having travelled to China to seek funds for the so-called £1 billion China-UK fund. 

UK Parliament’s intelligence and security committee on one occasion raised doubts whether Cameron’s role as the fund’s vice-chairman was supported by China.

The same year, in 2018, he also threw his support behind BRI quite unequivocally during a China trip. Cameron is also accused of sleepwalking into China’s ‘terrorism’ theory for Xinjiang that it cites to justify its human rights abuses against Uighurs. 

Cameron was reported to have opposed trade protectionism and referred to combating “terrorism,” during the China trip.

Charlie Parton, a former diplomat who spent 22 years working in China, said Cameron appeared to have a “complete lack of awareness of what the Chinese were up to” and his activities might not have been in the UK’s interests.

Parton is now calling for an expansive scrutiny into Cameron’s affairs so that he can be held accountable on his China dealings, especially when he is now the foreign secretary.

Cameron would now have to declare his all financial interests by December 20. He has already announced to resign from all business roles before assuming the secretary role but has stopped short of revealing what roles he was playing.