Unfortunately, since the end of the Cold War, too many Western countries assumed that democracy, the rule of law, and human rights had won for good, and that all totalitarian states would eventually succumb to the lure of the free market. This complacency is how we failed to see the Russian invasion of Ukraine coming. It also led, at Westminster, to the terrible China policy known as the ‘Golden Age’, in which the UK pursued greater trade with Beijing regardless of human rights and security concerns. This could best be described as Project Kowtow. Today, while we rightly focus on helping Ukraine fight for its sovereignty, it is also time to recognize that China is the single greatest threat to Western security. Not just because it is the second largest economy in the world – it funds one of the most powerful military machines – but, more fundamentally, because of who its rulers are and what they believe. Beijing is militarizing the South China Seas in defiance of the UN. He has scrapped the Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong and is imprisoning journalists and supporters of peaceful democracy. It has put over a quarter of a million Tibetans in forced labor camps. President Xi also appears to be trying to suppress an entire ethnic group – the Uyghurs. This apparent genocide includes the forced sterilization of women, while their children are sent to re-education camps and their men to slave labor (very often making products for Western consumption). To this charge sheet, we must add their threat to invade the island of Taiwan. This should be taken with the utmost seriousness as they build the military and diplomatic capacity for action. Europe’s desperate addiction to Russian energy has given Vladimir Putin a powerful weapon in recent months. However, our dependence on China is greater – and far more destructive – than that. We’re not just talking about cheap products, but most of the computers that are made there, as well as smartphones, batteries and electric cars. Never forget that China owns 80 percent of the world’s rare earth materials and has the largest production facilities in the world. These materials are the oil of the 21st century, without which most of the technology we rely on every day would grind to a halt. Under previous British governments, the response to these warnings was patchy. But more recently, Whitehall has also shown a reassuring willingness to change its position. Here, Liz Truss played a central role. As secretary of international trade, he began rebuilding the vital alliances in the Pacific region needed to counterbalance China. In December last year he also led the G7 to invoke China’s economic coercion, urging allies to do more to protect Taiwan and denounce the Uyghur genocide. And yet, at the same time, surprisingly, Treasury leadership tried to revive talks on an economic trade deal that had been suspended when China scrapped the Hong Kong treaty. This was despite evidence that China’s brutal behavior and malicious intentions continue. It was a serious mistake. As one of five politicians who, with our families, have been sanctioned by the Chinese government for inciting its campaign of genocide, this is the critical issue for me. Liz Truss’ strong stance and leadership on the issue is a key reason behind my support for her to be the next Prime Minister. He has rightly pledged to put our security above all else – and will make it clear that we are standing up for human rights, decency and, crucially at this time, Taiwan. Too often, we were doomed to repeat the mistakes of history. Therefore, if we wish to live happy and peaceful lives, we must learn to treat countries as they are, not as we wish them to be. This is not the time to be weak against China. Sir Iain Duncan Smith is the Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green
