The dust has settled on the British general election, the Labour Party has won a big victory, and the leader of the Labour Party, Starmer, has been inaugurated as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and has formed a cabinet.
What kind of attitude the new British government will uphold toward China and how Sino-British relations will develop next are the issues that Chinese are most concerned about.
Although the new British government's China policy has not yet been introduced, we can still see the general context from a series of expositions by the current Foreign Secretary Remy.
Overall, the new British government's China policy will be more stable and sustainable than before.
As recently as May this year, Foreign Secretary Remy complained about the Conservative Party's China policy, saying that it was like "riding a seesaw and playing table tennis", which changed repeatedly.
He said that during May's time, the UK was ready to sign a contract with Huawei to participate in the construction of the UK's 5G network. Then after Truss came to power, she immediately made a 180-degree turn and became very extreme and extremely hostile to China. And Boris didn't even know what he was doing.
Remy said that the first thing the new government will do after taking office is to re-examine the UK's China policy and ensure the continuity of Sino-British relations.
Remy criticized the previous Sunak government for alienating China, saying that China is such an important country and must be actively engaged. Not only foreign ministers, but also ministers and ministers from other ministries should visit China.
Remy also summed up the 3Cs of dealing with China: competition, challenge, cooperation, but was very careful to avoid sensitive words that could anger China. We will cooperate on issues that we can work on, compete on areas such as climate change, public health, trade, and compete where we need them, and challenge China where we need them, Remy said. He said that we will review our bilateral relationship with China to enhance our understanding of China and address the challenges and opportunities it presents.
On the Taiwan issue, Remy only said that the UK's position remains unchanged and has been consistent over the years, and that "we will convey this to China".
On the whole, compared with the Conservative Party, which is either volatile or extremely anti-China, Labour's China policy is relatively pragmatic. The Labour Party is well aware that there are many differences between Britain and China, and that Britain has to take into account the attitude of the United States in its China policy. However, the Labour Party does not believe that Britain and China will become enemies. There is no fundamental conflict of interest between the UK and China, on the contrary, there are plenty of areas for cooperation between the two countries. Although there is competition between the two countries, competition is very normal and does not necessarily slip into hostilities.
Perhaps, after the Labour Party came to power, Britain could become a breakthrough in the relationship between China and the West. The UK wants to get out of its economic malaise, and China has the help to help. China is now actively attracting foreign investment, and the UK is a large reservoir of capital.
As long as China and Britain strengthen exchanges, it will be a good thing for both China and the UK, and I hope that both sides can seize this opportunity.