Dominic Raab was condemned last week for saying Britain would trade with countries with poor human rights records. But his leaked comment to civil servants was more of a statement of fact than personal preference. In fact, for months officials at the Foreign Office have been preparing tough measures against Beijing, including Magnitsky-style sanctions against five Chinese officials linked to atrocities against the Uighurs. SponsoredRaab, 47, is sympathetic to such measures, and indeed many expected him to unveil them in a January speech on the Uighurs. He said “we have a moral duty to respond” to China’s conduct, only to launch a good old-fashioned “review” instead.

Source: The Times March 21, 2021 00:00 UTC