Image: NPR

There’s a whole bunch of governments around the world who for years have happily gorged themselves at China’s money trough. Even the platitudes on human rights and freedom where swiftly jettisoned by states who valued profit above such democratic principles. It’s been a scramble for money, and its ongoing.

Of all countries none have appeased the Chinese regime more than that of the UK, it’s equivalent of the State Department (known as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) has since engineering the Sino-British Joint Declaration, signed on December 19,1984, given a new meaning to the term softly-softly.

Image: SCMP

Their advisors and specialists have consistently urged governments to be sensitive towards China, counseling a constructive engagement, while paying scant and cosmetic attention to the vicious oppression, censorship and cultural genocide waged against Tibetans, Uyghurs. Mongolians and Manchurians.

This approach has proved a complete failure in moderating such troubling excesses, of course any claim that positive relations with China would lead to reform and a reduction in human rights abuse was completely exposed as a fig-leaf when the pro-democracy students in Tienanmen Square were murdered in June 1989. Apart from a few acutely composed words of sympathy and hand-wringing it was to be business as usual, with the blood still on the streets of Beijing.

Image: SCMP

Since then China’s economic and global reach has become dominant, along with that rise the UK government has continued to blindly follow the counsel of its foreign policy strategists. Chinese money has bought considerable sections of the British economy, while the influence of China upon British academic institutions has grown considerably. Trade deals have flourished, corporations and politicians falling over themselves to benefit from positive relations with China’s totalitarian state and its many corrupted businesses. Including of course Huawei, one of China’s go-to mass surveillance providers, concerns on exposing critical communications infrastructure to control by Chinese tech-companies have been brushed aside by the British government.

Image: DALE DE LA REY / AFP) Epoch Times

Little wonder its Foreign Office has remained virtually silent on the false promises made to Hong Kong, now cruelly revealed as China makes legislative move to criminalize any and all forms of opposition and dissent there. Like the Tibetans and Uyghurs suffering the destruction of their culture and brutally denied their freedom,the UK authorities; driven by foreign policy advice, will serve up similar excuses, warm words and platitudes to the brave and determined people of Hong Kong.

It was always a betrayal, always duplicity and having kowtowed to the Chinese regime perfidious England is too busy making money from China to give a damn!