The China visit was a mixed bag
To quote an old Chinese proverb, “a friend is a path.”
There was something awfully ironic and awkward about China’s execution of “scam mafia” members during Keir Starmer’s visit.
Eleven members of Myanmar’s Ming family were sentenced to death back in September, for numerous crimes including homicide, fraud, and operating illegal gambling schemes.
They were executed on Friday, as the Prime Minister was wrapping up two days of intense diplomatic talks in Beijing with President Xi Jinping, with hopes of forming stronger ties and thawing the “ice age” in relations between the two countries.
It was the first visit to China of any sitting British Prime Minister since Theresa May back in 2018, something which Starmer alluded to numerous times in the run up to the journey - which he described as “historic”.
However, The Times reported on Friday that Beijing had actually refused to approve the trip until Britain had formally approved the Chinese government’s new London embassy plans, which has been a controversial issue for years.
Starmer had made it clear before he had even got on the plane that this trip was about bolstering trade ties, and the rebuilding of a relationship which is “firmly in our national interest”.
Even still, many hoped that the journey would have positive ramifications on human rights issues, not least Sebastien Lai, the son of imprisoned British citizen Jimmy Lai, who was arrested for sedition in Hong Kong in 2020. Lai’s son spoke to The Times ahead of the PM’s visit, and demanded that his father be freed before Britain agreed any deals.
There have also been concerns over China’s treatment of the Uyghur ethnic group, their attitude towards Taiwan, and their close ties with Russia.
Surveys conducted by YouGov in January found that just 4% of Britons viewed China as a friend or ally, and 25% believing that they were a “major threat”. 24% believed that Britain’s attitude towards China was already “too friendly”, and that was before Starmer and his delegation had even got on the plane.
“Like it or not, China matters for the UK. As one of the world’s biggest economic players, a strategic and consistent relationship with them is firmly in our national interest. That does not mean turning a blind eye to the challenges they pose - but engaging even where we disagree”
- Keir Starmer
It’s easy to see how trade talks could seem trivial within the bigger picture, as the ill-timed visit comes just three months after the MI5 chief alerted the nation to a clandestine spy scandal whereby Chinese intelligence operatives had been using LinkedIn to build relationships with parliamentarians and other influential figures.
Alas, it soon became apparent that the trip was all about trade, and was subsequently successful in the eyes of a jubilant delegation, which also included sixty British business leaders.
The Prime Minister ironically took to TikTok to celebrate the achievements of the talks in a cinematic video: “£2.2 billion in exports, £2.3 billion in market access wins, £100s of million in new investment”. It remains unclear what any of that actually means.
Should any results of the visit become financially tangible, Starmer will see it for, in all fairness, what it is - a huge win.
One concrete outcome announced during the visit is a new visa-free travel arrangement between China and the UK. Under the agreement, British citizens will be able to travel to China for up to thirty days without a visa for tourism, business meetings, family visits or transit. However, the start date for implementation has not been formally confirmed by Chinese authorities.
These promises haven’t had time to materialise yet, and until they do, it’s safe to say the visit was a bit of a mixed bag. Critics will cite the lack of transparency and grit on human rights and spying concerns as a failure, whilst on the contrary, becoming the first PM in eight years to take a seemingly post-Brexit, friendless Britain into uncharted territory will be seen as a success by many.
With the special relationship on the ropes already, it was an interesting and defiant move to disregard Trump’s danger warnings of doing business with China, and the PM has seemed relatively satisfied that the journey was worthwhile - even if he came home with little more than a Labubu doll, no doubt scanned meticulously for surveillance equipment.
Thanks for reading.
If you enjoyed it and think you could contribute something similar (or better), we’d love to get you involved. Drop us a message or an email to find out how you could write for Pop Valley.
popvalleypress@gmail.com