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Discover
why the tightening of UK-China relations demands to deepen knowledge of
the Chinese context .
In 2019,
the UK ranked 9th among the People’s Republic of China’s top trading
partners in terms of export sales. That is to say, the country imported
around 62 billion dollars worth of Chinese shipments in 2019 only. The
same year, the PRC ranked 5th among major trading partners of the
island, meaning Beijing has imported around 30 billion dollars worth of
British products. Against all odds, trade and investment have been
peaking after Brexit, with the UK being the first recipient of China’s
FDI in the real estate sector in Europe since 2017.
There is more: England is a decisive pawn on the Chinese geopolitical
chessboard. The Belt and Road Initiative is a massive plan of
infrastructure investments covering the route of the ancient Silk Road
to promote trade, diplomacy, and people-to-people exchanges, to exert
influence abroad and – according to some observers – to reshape the
US-led global order into a Sino-centric one. It is no coincidence that
the first-ever “Silk Road train”, inaugurated in 2017, connects London
and Yiwu (one of China’s main production hubs). The BRI was also the
main sponsor of the 2019 London’s Chinatown Chinese Spring Festival,
signalling that China-UK relations go beyond business and trade to
cultural exchange.
Looking at data, it seems clear that chances for the UK to thrive
without dealing with China are shrinking. However, many in Europe are
still sceptical about China being a responsible actor to be entrusted
with large shares of power and
influence over others. The reason
is a legitimate ‘fear of the unknown’: the PRC is an unfamiliar
country, geographically, politically, and culturally distant from
Western liberal democracies.
Doubts on the eligibility of China as a partner worthy of trust have
been the result of both warnings from the United States and lack of
knowledge of the Chinese context. Concerns have been raised in many
European countries about whether is acceptable to promote closer ties
with the PRC. But given its growing involvement in international
affairs, it seems unlikely that –for the foreseeable future – any major
country will be able to avoid doing business with Beijing.
What is suggested here is a medicine for uncertainty. The need to
depart from the binary Cold War-logic in favour of a more comprehensive
understanding of the Chinese context, beyond the domain of business and
trade. Filling the gaps in knowledge of China’s civilisation, history,
society, and institutions is essential to better understand the
country’s current strategy and policy-making.
The Chinese are devoted students of Western history, philosophy, and
political theory: without relinquishing their identity they managed to
take over those aspects of Western thought that they believed would be
beneficial to them. Building knowledge of this kind would enhance the
ability of Western governments to predict China’s behaviour and,
possibly, to find a framework of mutual understanding under which to
operate.
The PRC is experiencing impressive economic and technological
development. At this pace, the capacity of China’s economy will
outstrip the U.S. within the next few decades. Likely, the templates of
economic – and eventually, political – power will be shifting from West
to East. Advancing knowledge of China will provide policy-makers with
useful tools to promote national interests through an effective
relationship with Beijing.
Furthermore, with power shifting from the U.S. to China, Europe might
draw strength from acting as a mediator. As a geographic middle ground,
European countries – especially the UK, given its traditional
diplomatic ties with the United States – might be in a privileged
position to make the best out of both worlds. Such a repositioning
should start now and consolidate over time to be an effective reality
at the time of the shift.
To this end, it is essential for the UK to get the big picture: if
Brexit really does mean that a more independent Britain will have the
chance to reboot its foreign policy and build healthier, equitable and
ethical bilateral relationships with its international partners, then
China would be a good place to start. For this to be possible, a
holistic approach to China should be pushed further to become the
bedrock for a new topic of conversation within the English public
discourse.
Silvia
Frosina
Research
Officer
The Next Century Foundation
frosinasilvia@gmail.com
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