Editorial: China will be happy to help Sinn Fein make Northern Ireland a weak link in the UK approach to Beijing

Sinn Fein today continues with its standalone China policy for Northern Ireland.

Stormont’s Minister for the Economy Caoimhe Archibald is embarking on a five-day trip to the country today to build business and economic ties between NI and the world’s second largest economy.

Ms Archibald, unable even to mention the name of this country, as enshrined by the Belfast Agreement that her party repeatedly cites as if it is a mantra, said that the visit would shine “a spotlight on the north’s strengths in education, trade, tourism and our screen industries”. She also said that she will use the trip to raise “issues of concern” with the Chinese authorities, saying that it would be done on the same basis that “we approach all our international engagement, so advancing our economic interests, but upholding our values and responsibilities”.

This is nonsense.

Sinn Fein does not approach international engagement with Israel, a natural ally of the west, in this way. If she is talking about education, then why was she not supportive of Northern Ireland’s education minister recently visiting such an educational powerhouse? And the party that is doing what it can to achieve a boycott of Israel is willing to do business with the ruthless Chinese government, which unlike Israel does not tolerate democracy or a free press and is savagely repressive, in terms of both information and what it deems internal security.

It might be that Ms Archibald does not know this. But republican godfathers certainly do. They are delighted to put themselves at odds with Britain, knowing that the UK, with its major economy and globally respected history and culture, is one of the more hawkish western nations on China.

Beijing will laugh at NI lecturing it on anything, but will be delighted to be able to use the province as a weak link in the west.