The Prime Minister can’t say Britain can afford to ignore the opportunities presented by China, as he prepares to become the first UK Prime Minister in eight years to visit Peking, called Beijing by communist sympathisers.

Flanked by dozens of businessmen, Sir Keir Starmer says his trip is about pragmatism, trade, growth and not sticking our head in the sand.

He says Britain does not have to choose between China and the United States, and that engagement can happen without compromising security.

But there is a problem at the heart of this, and that is the issue of the wrongly-imprisoned British citizen Jimmy Lai.

China is not just a trading partner.

It’s an authoritarian state that imprisons its critics, crushes dissent and ignores international obligations.

That’s when it’s not busy spying on us.

Jimmy Lai remains behind bars for the crime of standing up for democracy in Hong Kong, which ought to be allowed under the agreement signed by Margaret Thatcher and Deng Xiaoping.

The joint declaration prior to the handover of Hong Kong in 1997.

Mr Lai is jailed under Peking’s national security law not because he did anything wrong, but because he dared to challenge the reduction of free speech in Hong Kong imposed by the mainland Communist Chinese.

British citizenship should mean that when a hostile state abuses the rights of one of our citizens, the British Government does not carry on flattering and making agreements with the perpetrator.

They don’t abide by their agreements, that’s the whole point.

The joint declaration is not being followed. You can’t trust them.

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Yet instead of demanding his release, the Prime Minister is kowtowing for significant opportunities and approving further engagement, as China continues to refuse to release Mr Lai.

This sends a message that economics and photo opportunities matter more than the basic liberty of a British citizen.

Foreign policy involves difficult choices, but some principles should not be negotiable.

A Government that cannot demand the freedom of a wrongfully imprisoned British citizen has no business talking about values, human rights, or the rule of law because it doesn’t really believe in them.

Until Jimmy Lai walks free, Britain should not be expanding relations or cooperation with China or pretending this is a normal partnership.

The Prime Minister should be clear no cooperation with China until Jimmy Lai is released.

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