Letters | Why China should lead by example in the Indo-Pacific

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Alex Lo’s column on how China exploits Western hypocrisy made some excellent points (“How Beijing wins friends and gains influence in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean,” May 5). On the Chagos Islands, for example, it is certainly true that Britain and the United States are guilty of flouting several of international law’s most fundamental principles. Their behaviour is unjustifiable. Mauritius is right to pursue redress in international courts and organisations.

However, it is worth pointing out that China ignores international rules, too – not least of all the 2016 ruling from the Permanent Court of Arbitration that rejected core tenets of Beijing’s claims to the South China Sea. Such acts of brazen disregard for international law – in this case, a binding decision from a legitimately constituted arbitral tribunal – mean that China cannot credibly claim to be a “champion of developing countries”, as Lo put it. At least, some of its closest neighbours would presumably contest this assertion.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell opines that the election of Hong Kong’s new leader John Lee Ka-chiu is “a violation of democratic principles and political pluralism”. How easily he forgets he was forced to withdraw from the Spanish prime ministerial race amid a financial scandal over two people he had appointed.