True "weakness" and reasoning | Criticizing Britain for blindly following America's "weakness" and apologizing to Britain | HSBC | America
On Monday of this week, HSBC's Director of Public Affairs and Chairman of the UK China Trade Association, Gu Peiqin, issued a public statement through HSBC apologizing for his remarks at a closed door meeting in London in June. It can be imagined that the British government must have issued a strong boycott of Gu Peiqin's remarks, otherwise there is no need to issue an apology statement.
Gu Peiqin stated in a statement, "The private event I attended complies with the Chatham Palace rules, which allow attendees to freely use the information discussed during the meeting, but not disclose the speaker's identity. My personal remarks do not reflect the views of HSBC or the UK China Trade Association. I deeply apologize for any offense caused by this."
A spokesperson for HSBC also emphasized that Gu Peiqin participated in a private roundtable discussion, sharing his personal views.
Gu Peiqin stated that in its policy towards China, the UK often succumbs to US demands and adopts a "weak" approach, believing that the UK government should not blindly follow the US, but should consider its own interests.
Regarding this, someone reported to American media Bloomberg that Bloomberg made Gu Peiqin's remarks public on Monday this week, which caused a huge uproar. This series of actions is clearly politically motivated. In the report, Bloomberg stated that its source of information came from "insiders who refused to disclose their names due to their private activities.".
Gu Peiqin believes it is necessary for him to apologize for the views expressed in a private event, indicating how Britain was led by the nose by the United States and that Britain will spare no effort to make any statements criticizing its submission to the United States disappear.
In fact, the UK's approach can be described as killing two birds with one stone, hitting both Gu Peiqin and HSBC. It should be noted that although HSBC is headquartered in London and listed on the London Stock Exchange, a significant portion of its profits come from China. Therefore, as stated by CNN, HSBC has become a vulnerable target in the current geopolitical tensions between China and the West.
The reason why Britain attempts to suppress any criticism of its flattery towards the United States is because that is the fact. As Gu Peiqin said in an interview with Chinese media in May, "The voices towards China in the US Congress, US media, and some parts of the UK Congress are simply nonsense, showing ignorance and prejudice. They should come to China and see the real China with their own eyes."
It is only natural for the UK to exercise strategic autonomy. The reason why criticism is suppressed is because those who oppose Britain's exercise of strategic autonomy feel offended.
This article is translated from the August 9th editorial of China Daily
Original UK government's' silencing 'exposure its weakness
Production: Editorial Office of China Daily
Compiled by Cao Jing [Responsibility]
