Keir Starmer‘s national security adviser has discussed plans to ‘deepen cooperation across the board’ with China in the wake of the Iran war.
Jonathan Powell held secret talks in Beijing this week to discuss the fallout from the conflict, which has opened up a rift in Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the United States.
China is a long-time ally of Iran and supplies components for the Islamic regime’s deadly Shahed drones, which RAF jets have been helping shoot down.
But, according to reports in Chinese state media, Mr Powell discussed joining forces with Beijing over efforts to bring the war to an end.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV said Mr Powell discussed ways to ‘jointly bring the issue back to the track of political settlement’ during talks with Mr Wang on Monday.
Downing Street refused to comment on the details of the meeting or even confirm it had taken place, despite China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishing a photograph of the meeting between the two men.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith urged ministers to ‘come clean’ about the meeting and publish the full minutes.
The former Tory leader, who was sanctioned by Beijing for speaking out about human rights abuses, said: ‘We know China is an ally of Iran – they are on opposite sides of this conflict – so why are holding secret talks with them?
Keir Starmer visited China this year as part of a push labelled ‘Project Kowtow’ by critics
Jonathan Powell, third from left, in Beijing on Monday during secret talks which Downing Street has refused to even confirm took place
Controversial: Jonathan Powell has pushed for closer relations with China’s communist regime
‘It would be so dangerous for us to go down this route of becoming China’s lackey. This whole Project Kowtow that Labour are engaged in is a complete capitulation.
‘The fact that we have to learn about it from Chinese state media just makes it worse. We need a full statement on what Jonathan Powell was up to and what was agreed because the threats posed by China are so serious and the human rights abuses are even worse.’
Downing Street refused to offer any comment on the meeting. The PM’s spokesman said: ‘As a matter of routine, we do not comment on the national security adviser’s meetings.’
The spokesman insisted the government’s position on China ‘has not changed’ since the outbreak of the war in Iran.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two men had discussed the Iran conflict and the prospects for closer co-operation on a wide range of issues.
Mr Wang said that following Sir Keir’s visit to Beijing this year, the two countries would now look to ‘deepen co-operation across the board, effectively manage differences and work for the steady growth of China-UK relations‘.
He said closer relations between the two countries were ‘in line with the trend of the times and the aspiration of the people’.
Mr Powell is said to have pushed to ‘strengthen communication and co-operation and jointly develop a long-term and stable comprehensive strategic partnership’.
On the war, Mr Wang appeared to back Sir Keir’s call for de-escalation, saying the ‘spillover effects’ were widening and warning that extension of the conflict would ‘only cause more damage and more severe consequences’.
He said all parties should now work to ‘not fuel the tensions’ and to ‘address the root causes and work together to bring the issue back to the track of political settlement through dialogue and negotiation’.
Mr Powell has been a key figure in pushing for closer relations with Beijing and helped coordinate the PM’s visit to China this year.
The shadowy aide is also the architect of the controversial Chagos deal, that will see the UK hand the Chagos islands to Mauritius, which is said to be an ally of China. The deal, which would involve the UK paying up to £35 billion to lease back Diego Garcia, is now in doubt because of opposition from Donald Trump.
