The British foreign minister assured Hua that the British side promised to abide by the commitments made when the two countries established diplomatic relations, and the Chinese side received a sentence of approval.
Since United Kingdom's new Prime Minister Starmer came to power, there has been news that he will send a foreign secretary to visit China and repair Sino-British relations, and now he has finally gotten his wish.
According to the website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on October 18, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Lamy in Beijing.
United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Lamy and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
Judging from the press release released by the Chinese side, the atmosphere of the talks between the two sides was generally harmonious, and there were many contents to be discussed, but the core was still focused on the key topic of "what to do next for China-UK relations".
As we all know, United Kingdom previous administrations, from Johnson to Truss to Sunak, blindly cooperated with United States to contain China, adding many obstacles to China-UK relations.
After Labour Party leader Starmer came to power, he vowed to reverse this situation and rebuild strategic mutual trust between China and Britain, so he arranged for the foreign secretary's visit to China as soon as possible.
Although before the visit to China, the Starmer government had said that it would "challenge China" on Taiwan-related issues, but after it actually arrived in China, it immediately changed its tone.
Judging from the press release issued by the Chinese side, the British side has made a number of political commitments to China.
Starmer and his wife at 10 Downing Street
In the presence of Foreign Minister Wang Yi, United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Lamy said that the United Kingdom government is willing to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with China in a mutually respectful manner and effectively manage differences.
He also made assurances to China, saying that the British side will abide by the commitments made when establishing diplomatic relations on the Taiwan issue and will adhere to this commitment for a long time; China and the UK share a wide range of common interests, and there should be no "iron curtain" between the two countries.
Finally, he stressed that China and the UK are both permanent members of the Security Council and have a special responsibility to maintain world peace. At the same time, the British side also looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China in the fields of economy, trade, science and technology, and starting a new journey in bilateral relations.
On the whole, the British side's statement is quite positive, and the British foreign minister's "letter of guarantee" to China in person is mainly to show the sincerity of the new United Kingdom government in cooperation with China and to reassure the Chinese side.
In the face of the British side's overtures, the Chinese side also gave a remark on the spot, that is, "agree to fully resume the dialogue and cooperation mechanism between the two countries in various fields" and actively carry out mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides in various fields such as finance and trade.
After receiving this sentence from the Chinese side, the British side can also rest assured that it will go back to make the difference.
Churchill's "Iron Curtain Speech"
It is worth noting that the British side has an unusual "new statement", that is, Lamy mentioned that "there should be no 'iron curtain' between China and the UK". As we all know, after the end of World War II, Churchill, then Prime Minister of United Kingdom, delivered the "Iron Curtain Speech", which opened the prelude to the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Although the term "Iron Curtain" was not coined by Churchill, it became a proper term to describe the confrontation between East and West in post-war international relations.
Now, the British side has mentioned this word again, saying that there should be no "iron curtain" between China and Britain, and also wants to say that under the new type of international relations, China and Britain should not be obsessed with "Cold War confrontation", but should work together as much as possible.
This statement is certainly very positive, but the crux of the question is whether the British side can match its words with deeds, and bring back to London the commitments it made to China in Beijing intact, so as to improve relations between the two countries with concrete actions?
United Kingdom's reputation in the international community, presumably everyone knows very well, if we want to eliminate some of the barriers between China and Britain, we still need the British side to take concrete actions.
Sino-British relations
In particular, under the pressure of the United States, whether the British side can properly handle Sino-British relations in an independent and pragmatic manner is a big test for the newly inaugurated Labour government.
All in all, we still have to listen to the UK's promises and watch them in action. If the British side really wants to improve its relations with China, it will take concrete actions to win the trust of others.