Starmer promises government cooperation and strong opposition to China

The government, under Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, will alternate between cooperation and “robust challenge” in its dealings with China, as stated on Wednesday.

Sir Keir made these remarks during his inaugural foreign trip as Prime Minister to participate in NATO’s 75th-anniversary summit in Washington.

Emphasizing the approach of the Labour government, Sir Keir informed reporters that it will involve “cooperation where necessary, such as on issues like climate change, for example.”

“But when necessary, we will also challenge robustly,” he added.

“One of our first actions will be to conduct the audit outlined in our manifesto regarding UK-Chinese relations. We will proceed with the audit and take appropriate actions,” stated the Prime Minister.

Prior to taking office, Labour had committed to conducting a comprehensive audit of the UK’s relations with China within the first 100 days of governance to enhance the understanding and response to the challenges and opportunities presented by China and to establish a strategic and long-term approach to managing relations between the two countries.

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Foreign Secretary David Lammy, formerly in the shadow cabinet with the same portfolio before Labour’s victory in the general election on July 5, emphasized being guided by “three C’s”: competing in certain areas, challenging in others, and cooperating on issues like climate and health.

Labour has adopted a stance of “progressive realism” without specific commitments regarding China. It remains uncertain whether or how they will differ from Rishi Sunak’s approach of “robust pragmatism.”

Both major parties have expressed intentions to strengthen ties with allies to counter challenges and threats posed by the Chinese regime. Labour has confirmed its full commitment to AUKUS, a trilateral Indo-Pacific security pact with Australia and the United States formed during the Tories’ tenure.

Over the past 14 years, the Conservative Party oversaw a “golden era” of Sino-British relations, which has seen a rapid decline in recent times.

The Conservative Party reversed its decision to allow Huawei into the UK’s 5G network, enacted stricter laws related to espionage, influence campaigns, supply chain, and business takeovers, and cut government funding for Confucius Institutes. Critics argue that the government still lacks a coherent strategy concerning China and has been slow in addressing national security and human rights concerns.

During the electoral campaign, the Conservative Party intensified its rhetoric on China, categorizing its communist regime as part of an “axis of authoritarian states and hostile actors” and pledged to include it in the enhanced tier of the anticipated Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, mandating agents of the Chinese regime to disclose nearly all activities in the UK.

PA Media contributed to this report.