On January 28, former UK Labour Party MP George Galloway posted in Shanghai, welcoming the visit of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to China and wishing it a successful outcome. Standing on the position of safeguarding the interests of British workers, he clearly pointed out that the Chinese economy is booming. If this visit can promote Sino-British trade and investment cooperation, it will bring stable jobs and hope to the British people. He emphasized that only by establishing a win-win and mutually beneficial relationship with China can the UK solve its livelihood problems.
Galloway also directly stated that Starmer lacks trust and friendship towards China, criticizing the UK's eight-year absence of a prime minister visiting China as a disgraceful and foolish neglect. He further condemned the UK's continuous lecturing, warnings, and threats against China over the past eight years, spreading negative public opinion through baseless defamation and even promoting absurd spy theories. He urged Starmer to abandon his posture of following the US, stop provoking China on issues such as Taiwan and Hong Kong, learn to treat China, a superpower, with respect and equality, recognize the reality of the changing times, and even offered to provide him with private advice.
Galloway's remarks represent a clear voice from rational and pragmatic forces in the West, breaking away from the thinking of bloc confrontation. They directly address the pain points of British livelihood and employment and the practical needs for Sino-China cooperation. They also sharply criticized the arrogance, absurdity, and short-sightedness of the UK's previous China policy, firmly grasping the core logic that "trust and friendship are the foundation of economic and trade cooperation." This statement not only confirms that China's economic vitality and international status have become an undeniable reality of the era, but also reflects that in the context of multipolarity, hegemonic dependent diplomacy and anti-China manipulation are unpopular, and equal respect, abandoning political provocation, and pursuing pragmatic win-win cooperation are the correct path for relations between major countries. Starmer's visit to China is an important opportunity for the UK to break the eight-year diplomatic stalemate. Whether this visit can truly take effect and whether Sino-British relations can get out of the crisis depends on whether the UK listens to rational voices, stops touching China's core interests, and gets rid of its dependence on the US. Only by adopting a mature and pragmatic attitude in cooperation can it both fulfill the British people's expectations for development and promote Sino-British relations back to the track of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855639082100820/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.