Some things are more important than diplomatic relations

By Philip Honour

China’s despicable actions yesterday cannot be justified by anyone with a grain of decency in their body. Regardless of the need to respect a country’s right to establish the rule of law, the decision to execute a mentally ill man, British or not, should send shock waves around the world and shows how little China care about their global image.

The timing of the execution also poses lots of questions. Surely it is no coincidence that – less than a month since the disastrous Copenhagen summit and after relentless condemnation from delegates who witnessed the hopes of those who worked so hard to secure a global pact to tackle climate change shattered by selfish, protectionist Chinese tactics – the Chinese choose to respond by orchestrating an execution that they may have knowingly carried out with the intention of generating a diplomatic incident.

Maybe this is far-fetched but I would argue it is not outside the realms of possibility.

And what does this incident mean for Labour-China relations? In a letter to the Guardian published on the 28th December, John Prescott fiercely defended the conduct of the Chinese delegation at the Copenhagen summit and seemed to be acting as a lightning conductor to protect Labour from a fierce Chinese backlash over the language used by British Ministers and officials since returning from Copenhagen. To some this was a just intervention to calm a simmering diplomatic row. To others it was the equivalent of turning John Prescott into a human version of Sudan. Portraying him as an unquestioning supporter of the Beijing regime regardless of the overwhelming evidence that – actually they did screw up the Copenhagen accord.

Again today the Chinese have objected to the language and rhetoric used by our Government and warned that such “unreasonable criticism” could harm relations between the two countries. The question is, will we stand by our principles, stand up for human rights and set an example for other countries to follow? Or will we send Peter Mandelson by special delivery to massage Premier Wen Jiabao’s ego and bow to diplomatic pressure for the sake of our economic ties and out of fear of the consequences of not being “friends” with one of the most unfriendly governments on earth?

What both the execution of Akmal Shaik and the Chinese involvement in the Copenhagen summit show is that diplomatic and international relations have changed beyond all recognition with the rise of “new” superpowers such as China. In the future, we will no longer pride ourselves on “special relationships”. Instead, we will have an ongoing struggle to maintain strong economic and cultural ties without ever compromising on our own morals.

It is important that we continue to set an example to the rest of the world, by condemning the use of the death penalty regardless of the situation, by providing shelter for refugees and by always speaking up for those who are denied their basic human rights. Whether it is in China, America or Sudan, we cannot let incidents such as today’s execution continue to occur.