Following the most significant civil unrest in China since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, and the arrest and beating of a BBC journalist by police, a diplomatic row has broken out between Beijing and London.
Britain accused China of lying about the assault, while the Chinese foreign ministry has suggested Britain was guilty of double standards — a perennial Chinese complaint. China can deny reality as much as its online army of domestic censors can manage, but for those around the world the evidence — in video and testimony — is clear.
The Government is absolutely right to defend not only the safety of British journalists abroad but the very idea of a free press and the right to protest more broadly. The Chinese Communist Party allows for no such thing and is instead engaging in brutal crackdowns and mass surveillance, while an estimated one million Uyghurs have been sent to concentration camps, in what the UN says may constitute crimes against humanity and what a motion in Parliament called a genocide.
The Chinese threat to liberty is not limited to the country itself. It seeks to silence criticism outside of its borders, and in October officials from its consulate in Manchester beat up a protester.
The reality is that Britain and the West cannot ignore China, the world’s second-largest economy. We must work with it on issues of global importance, from international security to climate change. But we do so with our eyes open.
Work to do for Met
Four killings in the space of 72 hours in the capital demonstrates the challenge facing the Metropolitan Police. Preventing and solving violent crime needs to be a priority but it is not the only one. There are problems within the force itself, from racism and misogyny to the 100 officers that Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says he can’t trust to talk to members of the public yet is unable to sack.
To that end, the Met has launched a free hotline for Londoners to anonymously report rogue police. This might include women propositioned by on-duty officers or tip-offs about police who send discriminatory messages on social media. It will be staffed by Crimestoppers, the independent charity, and information will be passed on to a Scotland Yard anti-corruption squad.
The roll-out comes after a torrent of disturbing scandals regarding the culture within the Met, including the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer. It also follows the Independent Office for Police Conduct report into Charing Cross, which concluded that Scotland Yard must overhaul its culture of sexism, racism, bullying and homophobia.
Londoners are entitled to a police force that is beyond reproach. This represents another step in that huge task.
Get job done, England
If you had offered England fans half a dozen goals in their first two World Cup games, they would have taken it. Unfortunately, all six came in the first match.
Still, despite the draw against the US a point against Wales would see England qualify for the knockout stages — a win would guarantee top spot. Anyway, if you lift the World Cup, no one will remember a goalless group stage game.
