Britain rethinks relations with China
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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on November 28, in his first major speech on international relations, described China as a country that systematically challenges British values and interests. China wants to achieve global influence, using all the political levers it has, Sunak explained.
Strengthening economic ties with China, which the British government had previously sought, did not lead to any positive results and did not change China’s approach to international and domestic affairs. “Let’s be honest, the so-called golden age is over. Along with it, the naive notion that trade [между Британией и КНР] can lead to social and political reforms,” Sunak stressed.
It is noteworthy that the position expressed by the Prime Minister differs from his own statements in 2021, when he served as Minister of Finance. At that time, Sunak refrained from such rhetoric and proposed developing a strategy towards China that would take into account both the problem of human rights in China and the expansion of economic ties between Beijing and London.
Under the golden era, Sunak understands the period in British-Chinese relations, marked by the closest and most active cooperation between the two countries. This era was officially announced in October 2015 at a meeting between British Prime Minister David Cameron and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In 2016, Britain became China’s eighth largest trading partner in the world and second in the European Union. London willingly invested in China’s investment projects, including the Belt and Road Initiative. In 2017 alone, the British authorities invested 20 billion pounds ($24 billion) in China. Chancellor Philip Hammond, then head of the British Treasury, called Britain China’s natural partner in the Belt and Road Initiative, justifying this by the country’s geographical position at the western end of the Chinese infrastructure project. In 2018, British Prime Minister Theresa May visited Beijing, following the visit, trade agreements were concluded for more than 9.3 billion pounds ($11.2 billion). The total trade turnover between the two countries in 2018 amounted to 63.4 billion pounds ($76.1 billion).
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