Reference News Network, January 28 report: According to Reuters, on January 27, the Chinese side stated that during British Prime Minister Starmer's visit to China this week, it is willing to strengthen mutual trust with the UK and deepen practical cooperation.

At a regular press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that British Prime Minister Starmer will make an official visit to China from January 28 to 31.

Additionally, according to a report by Reuters on January 27 from London, British Prime Minister Starmer is about to visit China, which will be the first visit by a British prime minister to China in eight years. Starmer's trip aims to mend relations with the world's second-largest economy and reduce dependence on the fickle United States.

Starmer is another Western leader visiting China recently. This visit comes as the UK's relationship with its long-standing closest ally, the United States, has become tense due to former President Trump's threats to take control of Greenland.

Professor Chris Brown of King's College London, who studies China-related issues, said: "A notable anomaly in the current situation is that London's positions on some global issues such as artificial intelligence, public health, and the environment may be closer to Beijing's than to Washington's." After being elected prime minister in 2024, Starmer listed improving relations with China as one of his priorities.

The UK hopes to strengthen economic and trade ties with China to help Starmer fulfill his promise to improve people's living standards through investments in public services and the economy.

The website of the Financial Times published an article titled "Starmer Preparing for a Charm Offensive against China" on January 26.

The report said that Prime Minister Starmer will visit China this week, marking the first visit by a British prime minister to China in eight years. After former President Trump's series of diplomatic disruptions at Davos, this British prime minister is trying to ease tensions with Beijing while working with EU leaders to strengthen military and economic ties.

Starmer will lead a large delegation consisting of cabinet officials and business figures to China. He clearly stated that he hopes to move away from what he called the "ice age" of UK-China relations during the Conservative Party's rule.

The last British prime minister to visit China was Theresa May. She visited China in 2018, at the end of what former Prime Minister Cameron described as the "golden era" of bilateral relations. During that period, China was invited to enter some of the most sensitive areas of the UK economy, including 5G networks and nuclear power plants, but later changed its mind.

The report said that Starmer is determined to improve the "hot and cold" UK-China relations he described.

"We... experienced a golden era in our relations with China, and then this relationship turned into an ice age. Even today, there are still people who advocate maintaining this cold relationship," Starmer said at an event in London last month.

"As a result, our allies have developed more mature strategies, while the UK has become an outsider," he pointed out. French and German leaders have visited Beijing multiple times since 2018.

"There has been a long-held belief that China is a rising power. Now it has risen," he said. "The UK needs to develop a China policy that acknowledges this reality."

A recent survey by the China-Britain Chamber of Commerce showed that as more Chinese companies invest overseas to seek growth, professional service firms are more optimistic about China's economy than other industries. (Translated by Qing Songzhu, Xu Yanhong, Liu Zongya, Zhu Li)

Original: toutiao.com/article/7600231690308469282/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author(s) alone.