Activists call for UK cities to cut China twinning links

CHINESE dissident groups held a day of action across the UK yesterday as they pushed cities to “de-twin” from their China counterparts to curtail Beijing’s influence.

Pro-democracy activists collected signatures for de-twinning petitions in London, Birmingham, Exeter, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Reading.

They say that while the Government has been clear about the threat posed by China at the national level, more could be done locally.

The campaign was partly inspired by Nottingham, which ended its sisterhood with cities in Russia and Belarus after the invasion of Ukraine. Activists now want the city to end its ties with Ningbo in China.

Newcastle has agreed to end a twinning arrangement with the Chinese city of Taiyuan owing to the abuse of Uyghur Muslims. It follows a similar move by Wakefield council in 2020.

More than 40 cities in the UK are twinned with Chinese counterparts. They represent long-term partnerships at the local government level that may include municipal, business and cultural ties and exchanges.

Rishi Sunak has already pledged to disband the UK’s Confucius Institutes, a global cultural programme run by China, because of their propaganda role for the Chinese government.

“We want local governments to start to be aware, to catch up with the pace of national government,” a Global De-twin With China spokesman said.

The organisation is run by Hong Kong diaspora groups. It also organises de-twinning petitions in the United States, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and Germany.