James Cleverly, UK foreign secretary, will on Monday launch what he will call “patient diplomacy”, intended to build stronger long-term British relations with fast-growing countries such as Brazil, Kenya, South Africa and Indonesia.
In his first big speech as foreign secretary, Cleverly will promise to build ties with countries which are not traditionally strong partners of the UK, hoping to counter the transactional support offered by Russia and China.
Cleverly’s allies concede that Britain cannot match the financial firepower of Beijing, but argue that the UK can offer mutually beneficial partnerships to countries which share a belief in democracy, free trade and the rule of law.