China Highlights Visits to China by UK Prime Minister and Western Leaders...Checks on US Influence

"Adjustment of UK Diplomatic Course After Brexit"
Significance Attached to Successive Visits to China by Western Leaders

Chinese state-run media have highlighted the recent series of visits to China by Western leaders, including Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. They assessed that Western countries are choosing China, which offers economic benefits, as evidenced by the first visit by a British Prime Minister in eight years, despite previous confrontations over security and human rights issues.

Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Yonhap News

On January 28, the Global Times, a Chinese state-run English-language newspaper, published an editorial titled "China-UK Relations Should Be Viewed from a Global Perspective Beyond Bilateral Vision." The editorial stated, "Improving relations between China and the United Kingdom benefits both countries and creates more opportunities for the advancement of a multipolar world." It further noted, "The United Kingdom's active steps to improve relations with China are a rational choice based on national interests and represent an adjustment of its diplomatic course following Brexit."

The Global Times commented on Prime Minister Starmer's visit to China, leading an economic delegation composed of more than 50 companies and institutions. The paper stated, "Even during the 'ice age' in bilateral relations, trade and economic exchanges between the two countries continued to show a clear upward trend." It analyzed, "An increasing number of insightful figures in the West are realizing that blindly following a single hegemonic power and severing global connections harms their own countries' development and prosperity."

The editorial also stated, "It is clear that so-called small-group and bloc-based confrontations within the West are losing credibility," and added, "In the face of an unpredictable United States, Western countries are increasingly seeking predictability in their foreign relations."

These remarks come as Emmanuel Macron, President of France; Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada; and Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland, have all visited China in the past two months. Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany, is also scheduled to visit China next month. The Global Times particularly noted that Prime Minister Starmer's visit is significant, as it signals a turning point in the long-standing confrontation between the United Kingdom and China. The United Kingdom has had a tense relationship with China over sensitive issues such as security and human rights.

The Global Times stated, "The 'hot and cold' China policy from 10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister's Office is located, has been a major cause of conflict between the two countries, but it has not brought the benefits the United Kingdom had imagined." The editorial cautioned against voices that exaggerate specific differences and turn them into ideological confrontations, and expressed hope that the British government would overcome such negative interference.

The Global Times also mentioned that Prime Minister Starmer, before departing for China, stated there would be no binary choice between the United States and China. The paper interpreted this as being in line with recent statements by Western leaders and as a sign that the United Kingdom has "finally regained its sense."

In an interview with Bloomberg on January 27 (local time), ahead of his visit to China, Prime Minister Starmer was asked whether he was seeking to improve relations with China at the expense of the United Kingdom's closest ally, the United States. He replied, "I am often asked to choose between the two countries. During the US trade agreement negotiations, everyone wanted me to choose between the United States and Europe." He added, "I do not make such choices."

Although Prime Minister Starmer's visit to China is being pursued in line with the United Kingdom's pragmatic approach to revitalizing its economy, it is also true that security concerns about China remain unresolved within the British opposition. The Global Times commented, "China has never been a security threat or an obstacle to the United Kingdom's development," and emphasized, "We hope this visit not only opens new avenues for cooperation in specific areas but also establishes a pragmatic, rational, and mutually beneficial approach for the long-term development of bilateral relations."

Prime Minister Starmer will stay in China until January 31, during which he will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, visit Shanghai, and then depart for Japan.