[By Guancha Observer, Wang Yi] The global AI race is heating up as countries are heavily investing in AI to take the lead in this technology that will shape the future. A report released by the British government in January stated that the United States and China are making progress in AI, while the UK, as the third largest AI market, risks falling behind.

In order to eliminate this risk, the British government seems to have come up with a solution: hyping up the Chinese threat and hitching a ride on the fast track of American AI development.

On May 27th, Peter Mandelson, who was appointed as the British ambassador to the United States last year, mentioned China again at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank, claiming, "Nothing worries me more than China winning technological dominance," and described China as "economically mature, highly innovative, and strategically patient," posing a "clear common threat" to both the United States and the UK.

After hyping up the so-called Chinese threat, Mandelson suggested that the UK and the US should "join forces" and "drive scientific breakthroughs that define this century," with AI becoming the "vanguard" of their cooperation.

He added, "Our two governments should not let excessive regulation stifle these transformative technologies but rather unleash their immense potential for the benefit of humanity and the West."

Screenshot of British Ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson.

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. attitude toward AI shifted from Biden's era focus on regulation to prioritizing development. This statement by Mandelson is clearly aimed at catering to the U.S. Previously, the UK had attempted to take the lead in AI regulation, but now under Starmer’s government, there seems to be an intention to follow Trump's example by prioritizing AI application and development. In February this year, the UK quickly followed the U.S., refusing to sign a global agreement aimed at promoting AI safety and inclusivity principles.

The website "The Geopolitics" analyzed in April that British policymakers believe that the scale and depth of the UK's AI industry are second only to those of the U.S. and China, giving it the conditions to cooperate with the U.S. From their perspective, the UK urgently needs foreign investment to build the computational power required for public and private sector development of AI, and the U.S. is obviously the source of such capital, making cooperation with the U.S. very important.

The timing of Mandelson's suggestion for Anglo-American cooperation in developing AI also seems "opportune." The Independent reported on May 27th that just at the beginning of this month, the two countries had just reached a trade agreement, with the U.S. cutting tariffs on British steel and automobiles, retaining only a benchmark 10% tariff. At that time, the British government also stated that this trade agreement opened the door for a "future Anglo-American technological partnership" and further negotiations on a digital trade agreement.

Mandelson said that the 10% tariff rate is unlikely to decrease further, but the UK and the US can "lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers within this benchmark," which would be beneficial to both sides.

However, The Independent noted that somewhat delicately, since coming to power, the Labour Party has been trying to ease relations with China, as evidenced by successive visits to China by British officials such as Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves. On the other hand, Trump has always maintained an adversarial stance toward China, imposing much higher tariffs on China than any other country.

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves embarks on her visit to China in January. Visual China.

As the British ambassador to the United States, Mandelson's current attitude seems to lean toward aligning with the Trump administration. He believes that UK-China relations are unlikely to return to what they were ten years ago, "we won't go back to Cameron's 'golden era'."

On May 12th, Mandelson told the Financial Times that the U.S. should join forces with the UK and other Western allies to "counter" China in trade and security because "we are all strategically competing with China."

This is completely different from Mandelson's attitude before he was appointed ambassador. At that time, he repeatedly criticized the Conservative Party's handling of UK-China relations, calling for a easing of bilateral relations. In 2018, he even wrote an article criticizing Trump's hostility toward China as "bullying and mercantilism," stating that it endangered free trade.

Therefore, when Mandelson was appointed as the British ambassador to the United States, it caused strong dissatisfaction among Trump's team. But after becoming an ambassador, Mandelson softened his tone toward Trump, advocating cooperation between the UK, the U.S., and the EU.

Last December, Mandelson said in a program on The Times of London, "The UK must find a path between the U.S. and the EU," "We must find ways to get through this, we must find a way to have our cake and eat it too."

This article is an exclusive piece by the Guancha Observer and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509434377365996073/

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