British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, if elected leader of the ruling Conservative Party and Prime Minister in September, will for the first time declare China a threat to the security of the United Kingdom, giving it a status similar to Russia, The Times newspaper reported, citing associates of the head of the Foreign Office.

According to them, Truss promised to rethink British foreign policy and adopt a new Comprehensive Review of Security, Defense and Foreign Policy. The last such document defining London's goals in these areas was published only in March 2021. It called Russia the most acute direct threat to Britain. China has been described as the most significant geopolitical factor in the modern world, with great implications for British values ​​and interests. At the same time, it was indicated that China more than any other country will contribute to global growth, which will be beneficial to the global economy.

The tightening of attitudes towards Beijing will be contrary to the position of the Ministry of Finance, which has made attempts to expand economic cooperation with China. There will be no economic partnership with China. It should have been canceled after Hong Kong anyway, the newspaper quoted the source as saying.

The new head of the British government will be either Foreign Minister Liz Truss or former finance minister Rishi Sunak. Public opinion polls call Truss the clear favorite - she is ahead of her opponent by more than 30 percentage points. The name of the politician who will replace Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservatives and Prime Minister will be announced on September 5, and the new head of government will take up his duties on September 6.