The sprawling city of Chongqing, located in southwestern China, has an incredible landscape. It is built on mountainous terrain, where rivers crisscross and the entire city is connected by vast elevated roads. The train even passes through the middle of some buildings.
Recently, some British mayors and their deputy visited here—the largest British city delegation to visit China in modern history.
Although the attention is not high in the UK, the visit made in March received a lot of reports from Chinese media. This trip left a deep impression on some of the politicians in the delegation. "It's amazing!" said London Deputy Mayor Howard Dowber, who is in charge of business affairs, and the delegation visited several cities in southern China, spoke with Chinese mayors and met with Chinese tech giants. A deputy mayor was so amazed that he bought a Chinese brand Honor mobile phone as soon as he returned to China.
After the visit, the two parties signed several agreements. For example, the West Midlands agreed to establish a new UK headquarters in Birmingham for Chinese energy company Shenzhen Zhenghao Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. But the East Midlands deputy mayor Nadine Pitfield, who participated in the visit, said the diplomatic significance of the trip was just as important as the trade significance. "The desire to revive these relationships is very strong."
This reminds some people of the "golden age" of British-China relations. During the tenure of former British Conservative Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Rich Sunak and Liz Trass, political relations between Britain and China deteriorated. The last British Prime Minister to visit China was Theresa May, which was in 2018.
But the recent rumors that the delegation to China and Prime Minister Kiel Stamer may have visited China later this year indicate that there has been a turning point in the relationship between the two countries. But what is the bigger intention?
The direction adjustment appears to have begun with the closed-door meeting between the leaders of the two countries in Brazil last November. Starmer said at the time that the UK would seek to cooperate with China in the fields of climate change and business. Labour's prudent pursuit of China has since focused on potential financial benefits.
In January this year, British Chancellor Rachel Reeves co-chaired the first UK-China Economic Summit since 2019 with Chinese officials in Beijing. She defended her itinerary and said: "Not contacting China is simply not an option." Reeves said reengaging with China could provide a £1 billion boost to the British economy, and the UK will receive a £600 million agreement in the next five years - partly by lifting barriers to restricting exports to China.
Soon after, Ed Miliband, Secretary of Energy Security and Net Zero Emissions, resumed formal climate negotiations with China.
Labor simply describes its policy as "mature". But this seems to be a significant shift compared to UK-China relations over the past decade.
William Matthews, an expert on China at the Royal Institute of International Studies in Think Tank, said: "China's global influence is likely to continue to increase significantly, especially as the United States begins to turn domestically." He said: "The world will become more sinic, and although it will be difficult for any Western government, it needs to be rationally involved from the beginning."
Many Chinese observers in the UK believe that contact is a necessary condition to give them a clearer view of the opportunities and challenges brought by China.
Labor's declaration broadly promises: "We will cooperate where we can, where we need to, where we have to challenge." However, what is still missing is the subsidiary rules.
Labor has said it will clarify their policy to some extent through a delayed "audit" of relations with China. The audit, a cross-government work launched last year, will review the UK-China relationship. The audit report is scheduled to be released this month, but many people doubt it will solve the problem. "If we see Stamer visiting Beijing, it will be a sign that the two sides have actually reached some consensus that they are willing to change and improve bilateral relations," said Dr. Yu Jie from the China Forecast Project at the Center for International Affairs, Diplomacy and Major Strategic Studies at the London School of Political Science and Economics. But many members of the British Parliament are still skeptical of China. Even if this audit helps Britain better define what it wants from its relationship with China, the question remains, do parliamentarians and businesses have the expertise relevant to China so that they can make the most of the relationship? Ruby Osman, an analyst at the China issue at Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, said the UK urgently needs to build its capabilities toward China in a more comprehensive way, with the focus on diversifying its contact points with China.
On February 2, an actor performed a lion dance in Trafalgar Square in central London, England. On that day, London held a variety of activities to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year of the Snake.
Source: Reference Message
