Starmer’s Sisyphean task of keeping China happy

Xi’s purge to military purification; decoupling continues in US-China supply chains

Observing China is the essential newsletter to understand the UK-PRC relationship, explained in the context of global developments.

The question we need answering is this: would a drastic reduction in trade and investment ties with Beijing make any difference to the increasing threats to Britain posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC)?

For years now, His Majesty’s (HM) Government has grappled with trade-offs in its relationship with Beijing. Some say that increased economic ties with the PRC expose the United Kingdom (UK) to greater threats of security and economic coercion. While economic coercion can be somewhat mitigated with the right knowledge and approach, what about the increase in cyber attacks on British infrastructure? And interference in Britain’s democratic institutions? Would Beijing not continue with this, regardless of trade ties, given the UK’s alliance with the United States (US) – the PRC’s sworn top competitor?

A government cybersecurity agency stated last week that the PRC poses a ‘hyper sophisticated’ cyber threat to Britain. Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, has been accused of sucking up to the Chinese and prioritising HM Government’s growth agenda over national security by progressing the planning application for the ‘mega embassy’. But when an announcement came last week that the decision would be delayed yet again to the 10th December, Beijing announced that the UK would face ‘consequences’ for this delay. It appears that he just can’t win.

Welcome back to Observing China.