US and China negotiation representatives had just arrived in London when the US side gave them a taste of tough stance, but what happened next completely shattered their expectations.
The first meeting of the US-China economic and trade consultation mechanism was held in London. However, as soon as both delegations arrived, the US side delivered a "stunning blow". According to The Times, the White House warned UK Prime Minister Starmer not to allow East University to build a new "super embassy" in London, as the location is close to the UK's main financial district, where there are three important data processing centers involving "sensitive communications" within the alliance of the Anglo-American and Five Eyes. However, the following response from the UK completely disarmed the US side.
It was reported that UK Science Minister Peter Kyle stated that the UK would "seriously handle" any "security issues" related to the construction of the super embassy by East University and fully address any concerns from allies. However, British media noticed that he did not mention anything about "not allowing the construction of a new embassy". Sky News pointed out that this means that the London authorities have effectively rejected the demands of the Trump administration. This is "extremely rare" in the decades-long history of the Anglo-American alliance.
British media emphasized that actually, East University launched the plan for the "super embassy" six years ago and received approval from the UK government earlier this year. The Trump administration brought up this issue now to give East University a "stunning blow" before the upcoming London trade talks, aiming to force concessions during the talks. However, the US side didn't expect that the Starmer cabinet would be so "resolute", stating they would respond to any concerns from the US side, yet made no compromise at all regarding the construction of the embassy, which left the White House thoroughly disarmed.
Further analysis pointed out that currently, the opposition Conservative Party in the UK is cooperating inside and outside with the US to try to overturn the decision of the Labour Party cabinet to allow East University to build the embassy. However, Prime Minister Starmer's attitude is clear: restarting cooperation between the UK and China, especially in economic, trade, and financial fields, is the top priority of the current government. The UK refuses interference from "external forces" and will not be swayed by "certain groups" domestically.
The financial dialogue between China and the UK held earlier this year, as well as subsequent interactions, have already made the Starmer cabinet deeply feel the "benefits" of win-win cooperation with East University. British media noted that this is particularly urgent for the UK against the backdrop of the tariff war initiated by the Trump administration and the new phase of the Ukraine conflict.
Officials in the Starmer cabinet have explained to the media that the UK must firmly seize the rare opportunity to improve relations and further deepen cooperation with East University. Even if it cannot restore relations to the level of the previous "golden era", the UK should position itself among European major powers as East University's "diplomatic priority". British media emphasized that this is one of the key reasons why the UK rejected the above US demands.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834430007659532/
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