Over the past two days, David Lammy, the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, is on an official visit to China. He is the highest-ranking official to visit China since the Labour government came to power in the UK. In recent years, the UK has followed the US in its foreign policy after Brexit, aggressively promoting the "China threat" narrative, and blatantly interfering in China's internal affairs, causing the China-UK relationship to plummet to a low point.

Before this visit to China, Lammy specifically emphasized "engaging in constructive dialogue with China to avoid excessive confrontation in Sino-British relations," undoubtedly sending a strong signal of improving relations with China. British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, David Lammy, has rarely released a friendly signal towards China. During the final phase of Conservative Party governance, the UK closely followed the US in adopting a tough stance towards China, banning Huawei from participating in UK infrastructure construction, meddling in issues related to Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and slandering China for conducting espionage activities against the UK.

However, this blind obedience did not bring actual benefits; instead, it caused the UK to fall further behind in global trade and technological competition. Now, facing economic difficulties and diplomatic isolation, the UK realizes that confrontation with China will only accelerate its own marginalization. As the world's second-largest economy, the Chinese market is crucial for the UK. In the year, UK exports to China accounted for % of its total exports, and Chinese investment plays a significant role in the UK's new energy and infrastructure sectors, increasingly becoming a hope for the UK's economic recovery.

Under this backdrop, after the Labour Party came to power, the UK's China policy began to undergo subtle changes. Recently, British officials stated that the new Labour government intends to correct the "mistakes" made by the previous government and is seeking to ease tensions with China. Amid the deadlock in EU-China trade consultations over electric vehicles, UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds, made it clear on the 10th that the UK does not intend to follow the EU in imposing tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China, and believes that more engagement with China is a good thing. This clearly sends a very clear signal: the once "anti-China vanguard" UK is re-examining its relationship with China.

The reason lies in being deeply mired in difficulties. The British Labour government's adjustment of its China policy is primarily aimed at alleviating its own myriad predicaments through pragmatic diplomatic strategies. The people's livelihood is hard, and the populace is suffering. The "post-Brexit syndrome" has imposed a heavy economic cost on the UK, with reduced international trade, domestic market turbulence, and stubbornly high inflation.

According to the latest data from the UK Office for National Statistics, the UK's economy has not grown since the beginning of this year, and its performance in June also failed to meet expectations. It is expected that the economic growth rate will further decline in the second half of this year. Additionally, the UK's healthcare system is also facing severe challenges. The National Health Service (NHS) has long been overwhelmed, with 6 million people waiting for treatment, an average waiting time of nearly 18 weeks, and some patients even dying due to delayed treatment. The number of people waiting for treatment at the NHS has tripled since 2019.

Party strife, farce after farce. With the arrival of the new Prime Minister Starmer, the Labour Party entered a honeymoon period of governance, but soon fell into chaos and doubt. The infighting within the Labour Party intensified, internal management was flawed, and the top leadership was mired in scandals, leading to a continuous decline in its governance reputation. On one hand, former Chief of Staff Sugar was ousted by Maxine and others due to dissatisfaction over salary issues and his domineering style, becoming the "scapegoat" for the new government's operational difficulties. On the other hand, Starmer and other top leaders were embroiled in a gift scandal, exposed for accepting expensive gifts without reporting them, with Deputy Prime Minister Rayner, Foreign Development Secretary Lamy, and several other high-ranking officials implicated, sparking public doubts about the Labour Party's "corruption and decay" and "nepotism." The British media dubbed this scandal "Wardrobe Gate." Recently, the Labour Party's support rate has significantly declined; according to The Observer, only % of respondents approve of Starmer's performance.

Immigration issues, long neglected, have become chronic. The Labour government promised to strengthen the crackdown on illegal immigration, but this policy has, to some extent, exacerbated social divisions. In recent years, the issue of immigration in the UK, particularly the dissatisfaction of the native population with immigrants, has almost become a daily staple in British media. In a recent month, due to a knife attack incident, the UK experienced its worst anti-immigrant riots in thirteen years. Despite the police's efforts to clarify the situation, the long-suppressed anti-immigrant sentiments among the British public erupted like a powder keg, with a surge of protest messages online and multiple violent clashes offline.

Turning East for a "Cure". Looking West? No Solution! Since Brexit, the UK's international status has undergone significant changes, transforming from a crucial bridge connecting Europe and America into an "isolated island adrift overseas," resulting in a substantial decline in its international influence. Facing this predicament, the UK once hoped that its "special relationship" with the United States could bring about a turnaround. However, the reality is that America's foreign strategy has always prioritized its national interests, even sacrificing allies when necessary. In recent years, the global situation has been turbulent, with geopolitical conflicts erupting one after another, and the world economy struggling to recover. Western countries are already grappling with inflation driven by rising energy prices and declining incomes due to a slowdown in global trade. Meanwhile, the United States continues to wield its dollar hegemony, using financial scythes to reap from the global economy. Even the UK, as a close ally of the United States, has not been spared, forced to watch helplessly as its economic interests are continually eroded.

Looking East? There are many opportunities. The UK was the first Western major power to recognize the new China, demonstrating strategic foresight beyond its time, and the Labour Party has also made significant contributions to the development of Sino-British relations. The two countries can complement each other's strengths in areas such as finance, green economy, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence, and have the conditions to play a constructive role in geopolitical conflicts such as those in Ukraine and the Middle East. The space for cooperation between the two countries is very broad. Currently, following the US on geopolitical issues and reaping benefits from China in the economic sphere seems to have become a common tactic among Western countries. China naturally welcomes the UK's attitude towards improving its relations with China, but the future prospects of cooperation mainly depend on whether the UK is sincere enough. It is hoped that the Starmer government can recognize the global trend, formulate rational policies towards China, and achieve mutual benefits through friendly cooperation. The UK no longer has time to continue hesitating.