Cameron accused of selective human rights principles as he WON'T raise Tibet during China visit

A Free Tibet spokesman said: "He raised human rights in Sri Lanka - he must show Britain’s principles are not dependent on hosts' wealth"

Flashpoint: China was angered by David Cameron's meeting with the Dalai Lama

David Cameron is accused today of turning his back on human rights by refusing to raise Tibet when he travels to China next week.

Downing Street made clear the PM will not mention the Chinese repression of Tibetans during his visit to Beijing and Shanghai amid fears it will damage Britain’s business interests.

A No.10 source said they had “turned a page” on Tibet and it would not form part of the talks with the Chinese leadership.

But the decision has caused anger among human rights groups who questioned why Mr Cameron was willing to stand up to the Sri Lankan premier when he visited Colombo last month but is running scared of the Chinese.

Mr Cameron, who is taking a 100-strong business delegation with him, is hoping to use his four-day visit to drum up trade between Britain and China.

The visit was almost cancelled earlier this year because the PM angered the Chinese by meeting the Dalai Lama last year.

The Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, claims his country has been illegally annexed by the Chinese since the 1950s.

Chinese troops continue to police the country and thousands of Tibetans have died during decades of repression.

Tory MP Tim Loughton, of the all-party parliamentary group on Tibet, said recently that the Chinese government were treating Tibetans as “second-class citizens” and the Tibetan culture was being “extinguished”.

Despite the human rights abuses, Mr Cameron has agreed not to upset his hosts by raising the issue directly.
A Downing Street source said: “This visit is forward-looking. It is about the future and how we want to shift UK-China relations up a gear. We have turned a page on the Dalai Lama issue.”

A spokesman for the Free Tibet campaign accused the PM of ditching Britain’s ethical foreign policy.

“It’s vital that David Cameron speaks frankly and clearly about Tibet while he is in China. He was willing to raise human rights in Sri Lanka and he needs to show that Britain’s principles are not dependent on the wealth of his host,” said a spokesman.

He added: “In Tibet this year, we’ve seen security forces firing on unarmed protesters, Tibetans killed in custody and people arrested and disappeared simply for having images of the Tibetan flag on their phones. China is tightening the screw on Tibet.

“Since Xi Jinping took power, more than 50 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in the name of Tibetan freedom – is Mr Cameron simply going to ignore that?

“China thinks that a combination of money and threats can ensure the silence of UK politicians. George Osborne’s excruciating visit seemed to prove them right and was a real humiliation for Britain. Mr Cameron needs to restore our pride.

“China is not a rock: it does change and it will change its policy on Tibet if world leaders have the courage to hold it to account. Mr Cameron stands up for human rights in Sri Lanka and the right of self-determination in the Falklands.

"This is his chance to show China and the world that Britain stands up for justice everywhere.”

Mirror