For the first time in 5 years! British Foreign Secretary: Must Engage with China

He was the first African American Foreign Secretary in British history

He is also the first British Foreign Secretary to visit China in five years.

James Cleverley has gray hair, wears black framed glasses, and always looks serious. When he flew to Beijing today, he had the same image.

He is the first British Foreign Secretary to visit China in five years. The last time the highest official in British foreign affairs visited China was in July 2018, when the visiting Foreign Secretary was Jeremy Hunter and the then British Prime Minister was Theresa May.

Today, Wang Yi, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office, met with British Foreign Secretary Cleverley in Beijing. This is also Cleverley's first official visit to China after taking office.

·Cleverley.

"Journey of Contact"

In these five years, the international situation has undergone significant changes. Some British politicians are demanding that London take a stronger stance on China. In March of this year, the UK released an updated version of the Comprehensive Assessment Report on Security, Defense, Development, and Foreign Policy, positioning China as a "groundbreaking challenge", which raised concerns about the decline in China UK relations.

Last November, British Prime Minister Richie Sunak stated that the golden age of UK China relations had come to an end, and that the UK needed to focus on economic security when dealing with Beijing. In May of this year, he also stated that China posed the greatest challenge to global security and prosperity in this era.

However, the world today is deeply intertwined, with multiple challenges overlapping and requiring cooperation among countries to address them. Group politics and Cold War thinking go against the historical trend and are not in line with the interests of all parties, including the UK. A good relationship between China and the UK is not only in line with the interests of both countries, but also contributes to world peace and development.

From any perspective of Sino British relations, the two countries need to engage. Cleverley said, "My responsibility as the Foreign Secretary is to participate in international affairs. It is difficult to confront China on certain matters, and it is only feasible through contact with China."

In April this year, Cleverley publicly called for Britain to engage with China and establish a "strong and constructive new type of bilateral relationship", rather than isolating China in a so-called "new Cold War". He believes that doing so may harm Britain's economic interests and limit the ability of the West to address common challenges such as climate change and nuclear proliferation.

Cleverley advocates adopting a pragmatic and constructive approach to face the reality of China's rise. "We face an unavoidable fact that no major global problem can be solved in the absence of China," he said. "China's size, history, and global importance mean that it cannot be ignored.".

Of course, even Cleverley, who advocates for "contact with China," has pointed fingers at China on issues related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Taiwan. An analysis suggests that a fundamental characteristic of the UK's policy towards China in recent years has been to find a balance between a strong political stance and economic and trade cooperation.

"Just the beginning"

Cleverley was the first African American Foreign Secretary in British history. He was born in 1969 to a mother from Sierra Leone, an African country who had previously worked as a nurse. My father was a surveyor and later went into business.

Cleverley's family is not wealthy. He studied hotel management at the University of West London and met Susie, who later became his wife there. Now, they have two sons.

After graduating from university, Cleverley joined the British Army Reserve. In 2015, he was awarded the rank of Colonel in the Army. In the same year, he entered the House of Commons as a member of the Conservative Party and later held various positions including Deputy Minister of State for Retirement from Europe, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Education, and Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party. In September 2022, he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

·Cleverley served in the military.

Cleverley is an ally of former British Prime Minister Johnson, who has handled Brexit affairs and holds a strong stance against Russia, believing that dialogue should be placed at the core of Sino British relations.

·In 2019, Cleverley answered questions about preparations for Brexit in the UK.

On July 14th this year, Wang Yi had a brief conversation with Cleverley as requested during his attendance at an international conference in Jakarta. Cleverley appreciates China's crucial role in promoting reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran on major international peace and security issues, and looks forward to maintaining high-level exchanges and strategic communication with China to add positive factors to bilateral relations.

·Wang Yi and Cleverley.

Cleverley's official visit to China this time was at the invitation of Wang Yi. During the visit to China, both sides had in-depth communication on Sino British relations and international and regional issues of common concern.

Zhao Yongsheng, a researcher at the Regional Country Studies Institute of the University of International Business and Economics, sees Cleverley's visit to China as an important beginning and believes that it is a significant adjustment of Britain's policy towards China.

"There is a lot of room for cooperation between China and the UK, and from the situation at the BRICS summit, the UK can better recognize this," said Zhao Yongsheng. He judged that Cleverley's visit to China was just the beginning, and there would be high-level visits from the UK in finance, commerce, and other fields in the future. "From diplomacy, to finance, and finally to commerce, take it slowly. This is also consistent with the recent visits of high-ranking officials from various fields in the United States to China."

Has the UK woken up?

Regarding Cleverley's advocacy for engagement with China, some hawkish factions in the UK have heavily criticized it. "Dialogue with the Chinese side is not as easy and casual as drinking tea and eating cookies," the Daily Telegraph of the UK put Cleverley's statement in the title of an interview with him on April 29th this year. According to reports, Cleverley was attacked for advocating for maintaining contact with China.

Prior to his visit to China, Cleverley was interviewed and refuted criticism from the Conservative Party towards the China Hawk Party's visit to China. He stated that the UK hopes to strengthen economic and trade ties with China, and that not engaging with China is a sign of weakness.

Before leaving, he also stated that he would make it clear to the Chinese side that the UK welcomes Chinese investment and "maintains an open attitude towards business.".

Some analysts believe that the UK has shown a tough attitude towards China on so-called "values" issues, but at the same time tends to choose a relatively pragmatic policy towards China in reality.

Zhao Yongsheng analyzed that Cleverley's visit to China may mean that the UK has finally "woken up". "The relationship between China and the UK was originally very close, but for a period of time, the UK has felt a sharp decline in its international status and needs a platform to 'improve' itself, acting as a pioneer for the United States. In order to invite credit, the UK has been very aggressive in many aspects, even over interpreting the US containment policy towards China, missing out on the dividends of cooperation with China in the digital economy and other areas, which is very regrettable."

Zhao Yongsheng said that the United States did not compensate for the economic losses suffered by the UK. Compared with countries such as France that advocate for European strategic autonomy, the UK has severe domestic inflation and has also lost many financial opportunities. As China's advantages in digital economy, new energy, and other areas gradually become prominent, as a pragmatic and interest oriented country, the UK will naturally begin to adjust its policy towards China.

However, Cleverley's visit to China only represents the position of the British government and does not represent the attitude of parliament. Some analysts believe that there are serious internal conflicts within the Conservative Party in the UK. If the differences in China policies between different factions cannot be bridged and a coherent strategy can be formulated, the implementation of Cleverley's visit results still needs to be observed.