【By Liu Bai, Observer】

"The UK should remember where its real influence over China lies." On October 30, Simon Jenkins, a renowned British historian and columnist, published an opinion article in The Guardian, criticizing the British government for blindly following the US in its confrontational stance against China. He argued that the US can no longer dominate globally, while China's rise is changing the global power structure.

He emphasized that the UK is no longer the superpower it once was and must deal with the superpower China as all second-rate countries do. He called on the UK to reassess its foreign policy, including getting along well with China rather than portraying it as an enemy.

Jenkins mentioned that the US has already compromised in the trade war with China, although this conflict was started by Trump himself and seemed like a show, but this show has now ended. Trump played his favorite "deal-making" game, but left millions of people in trouble.

At the same time, the UK still cannot determine whether China is its "enemy". In 2008, British officials visited the Beijing Olympic Committee to discuss matters related to the 2012 London Olympics, and the British government asked officials to insert the topic of "human rights". It is said that the Chinese understood the awkwardness of the British when discussing this issue, and then both sides proceeded to handle the main business. Soon after, China became a friend of the UK, at least according to former Prime Minister Cameron and former Chancellor Osborne.

Former UK Prime Minister Cameron, Visual China

But times have changed.

Jenkins mentioned that China has now become a major world power with significantly increased strength, and in the eyes of some, it has become a "threat" to the UK's national security. The recent controversy about whether two British politicians are "Chinese spies" absurdly focuses on how the "China threat" affects British parties.

Due to lack of sufficient evidence, the UK prosecution recently announced the withdrawal of charges against two British men accused of being "Chinese spies" in 2023, and they were released without charge.

The Chinese Embassy in the UK stated in a statement: "We have always pointed out that the accusation that 'China instructed relevant British personnel to steal British intelligence' is completely fabricated malicious defamation, and we firmly oppose it."

Jenkins said that those who crave enemies are often arrogant and overconfident countries. They have vast military empires that heavily depend on enemies, which resist dissolution stubbornly. It is said that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a senior advisor of Gorbachev joked to American officials: "We are going to do something terrible to you - we will deprive you of your enemy."

Who is America's new enemy? The answer is obviously China. But as Trump found out, this is a difficult opponent. China does not send armies overseas, but at the same time challenges the US economic hegemony and breaks the link that was once thought to maintain capitalism and "democracy". China is becoming increasingly prosperous, and together with countries like India, forming the "BRICS Plus", its scale in world trade has exceeded the Group of Seven (G7).

Jenkins said that the UK also once had the fantasy of global hegemony, but could not refuse to reconcile with today's China. The UK is no longer a superpower and must deal with the superpower China as all second-rate countries do.

He finally mentioned that the UK may still have advantages in soft power, but the British government plans to invest billions of pounds to prevent a purely fictional third world war, while cutting its overseas cultural institutions, which is extremely absurd.

"The world is no longer the one upon which the UK has long relied to formulate its foreign and defense policies," Jenkins said. "The UK needs to re-evaluate the impact of its limited strength on the outside world. This necessarily includes getting along well with China, rather than portraying it as an enemy."

"For the UK, China is both a 'threat' and a desired trading partner." Shortly before the publication of this article, the New York Times in the United States published an article on October 27, revealing the UK's ambivalent attitude towards China.

The article pointed out that the UK is facing a contradictory dilemma in its China policy, and the UK government's repeated hype on human rights and security issues has led to tensions between the two countries.

However, after Brexit, the UK's economy has been weak and under-invested, making it more dependent on trade with China. China is the UK's fifth largest trading partner, with bilateral trade worth nearly billion pounds, which is a lifeline for the UK's economy.

A British economist frankly stated that the UK's economic position is very fragile. China is seen as a potential savior or even a messiah.

Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May described in a book by British investigative journalist Ray Dalio on the "Five Eyes Alliance": "We have not yet found a perfect way to let the global economy benefit from China's position, while constraining China's 'concerning behavior'."

But actually, the answer is obvious. The UK should truly realize that abandoning outdated Cold War thinking and ideological prejudice, and viewing China's development with a pragmatic and rational attitude, is the correct choice that serves the UK's national interests.

In April this year, Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister of China, spoke by phone with British Foreign Secretary Lamby. Wang Yi stated that the momentum of improving and easing Sino-British relations is hard-won and needs to be cherished. China is willing to work with the UK to follow the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, eliminate various interference and noise, grasp the direction of steady progress of bilateral relations, focus on mutually beneficial cooperation, and accumulate more positive agendas. In the current context of rampant unilateral bullying, China and the UK have the responsibility to safeguard the international order formed after World War II, the international system centered on the United Nations, and the multilateral trading system.

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