Cleverly says ‘comfort blanket allies’ not enough as he vows wider UK engagement
Britain cannot rely on its traditional “comfort blanket allies” and must expand its engagement with developing countries, foreign secretary James Cleverly has said.
Cleverly said the UK’s relationships with western countries were “rock solid”, but not enough to “sustain the international order”.
The speech, Cleverly’s first major intervention as foreign secretary, signalled a move away from Liz Truss’ “network of liberty” idea as the UK now seeks partnerships with countries that may not be liberal democracies.
Cleverly said that British foreign policy under his command would be “based on patient diplomacy, respect, solidarity and a willingness to listen”.
“In the coming decades, an ever greater share of the world economy – and therefore the world’s power – will be in the hands of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America,” he said.
“Together they will decide whether the international order will endure – that reality has been evident for some time, but I am not convinced that British diplomacy has fully caught up.”
It has been reported that Cleverly is targeting around 20 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America to forge closer ties with.
It is believed that India, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, Ethiopia and Vietnam are among the target nations for the foreign secretary.
Truss’ plan to build a “network of liberty” was based around joining forces with western allies like the US, Australia and Canada to clamp down on the influence of China and other authoritarian states.
However, some foreign policy wonks pointed out that this was too restrictive a strategy as it excluded large, developing Asian countries like India and Vietnam.
It comes amid a global battle between Beijing and Washington to forge closer ties in key countries in Asia and beyond.
Cleverly said Britain can play a key role in developing countries by showing “the UK can be and will be a reliable, trustworthy and long-term partner and I am determined that we’ll make investments of faith in the countries that will shape the world’s future.”