On June 9, the second round of Sino-US negotiations will soon begin in London, but the US side used another "warning" to China before the formal talks with China.
According to the British Times, the White House recently issued a threat to the British government about China, refusing to approve China's new embassy in London, and gave a high-sounding reason, saying that sensitive financial data faces the so-called "risk of espionage."
The White House issued an obscure threat: If a new Chinese embassy is built, the Trump administration will retain some reservations in sharing intelligence with the UK, and U.S. officials also claimed to be "concerned about China's access to sensitive communication information from allies."
In fact, Trump had previously warned British Prime Minister Stamer to refuse to approve China's construction of a new embassy and link the matter to the US-UK trade agreement.
Now, the United States has begun to re-report the old things, trying to make a fuss and picking them before the start of the second round of Sino-US negotiations. Its purpose is obvious and it is still a common means of pressure. Where is the US's sincerity?
Recalling the incident, the Chinese government bought the former site of the British Royal Mint in London as early as 2018 and planned to build a new embassy in the UK.
However, this plan has been affected in the past few years because of the manipulation of public opinion by the anti-China forces in the UK. In 2022, the Hamletta District Council in London refused to approve the construction of a new embassy. However, as the exchanges between China and the UK gradually deepened, and British Chancellor Reeves visited China in January this year, things turned around.
It is not difficult to see that by forcing the United States to "select side" on issues related to China, it is not only to test China's reaction, but also to create "bargaining chips" out of thin air in negotiations, and it is also an unreasonable interference in the normal development of Sino-UK relations.
After all, in recent times, China-UK relations and China-EU relations have been getting closer, and the US's threat to the UK's China-related threat is largely an expression of "anxious" emotions.
Moreover, the United States may also want to test the "loyalty" of the new British government. The Labor government led by Stamer is different from the tough attitude towards China that the United States had previously expected.
The US side chose to put pressure at this time, and wanted to see if the UK, an "ally", will cooperate with the US's strategy of encirclement against China, and at the same time deterred the subsequent trade negotiations between the US and the UK.
In the face of this unreasonable interference from the United States, we maintain strategic determination. The approval of the new embassy is a bilateral matter between China and the United Kingdom. China is clear about the intentions of the United States and will not deviate from the main line of economic and trade negotiations just because of the United States' disturbance.
In addition, the official website of the Chinese Embassy in the UK still marks the construction of the new building as "under planning". The construction of the embassy is a bilateral matter between China and the UK and is also a normal diplomatic facility arrangement. The United States has no right to force politicize it.
It is worth mentioning that judging from some of the US's past behaviors towards allies, the so-called "security concerns" in the United States are more like judging others by oneself. The United States has long carried out espionage activities such as surveillance on a global scale. The "Prism Gate" incident is a good example.
It is really ridiculous for the United States to accuse the construction of a new Chinese embassy of "espionage risk". In this matter, Britain needs to recognize the situation, make cautious choices, and adhere to the diplomatic principles of independence and independence.
China and Britain have extensive cooperation space and common interests in the fields of economy and culture. In recent years, China-UK trade volume has continued to grow, and there are also many cooperation projects in emerging fields such as financial technology and green energy.
If the British government refuses to approve China's establishment of a new embassy due to the unreasonable threat from the United States, it will not only damage China-UK relations, but also cause the UK itself to lose many development opportunities, which will not be worth the loss.
In short, the curtain of negotiations between China and the United States is about to open, and the United States' pressure on Britain is just a prelude to the game between China and the United States.
