British Prime Minister Teresa May's first official visit to China from January 31 to February 2 could not have come at a better time. Her government is trying to re-orient its position and place after Brexit and hardly any country is better poised than China to offer U.K. an opportunity to bounce back with its true potential.

If bilateral trade volume offers any tangible idea to gauge the depth of ties and future prospects of relations, then Sino-U.K. relations are on the right track. The trade between the two in 2017 was recorded at $79 billion, 6.2 percent more than 2016. The good news for May is that U.K.'s exports to China went up by 19.4 percent. 

The improvement came after President Xi Jinping visited Britain in 2015 and the two sides proclaimed the start of a "Golden Era" in their relations. It means more economic cooperation in line with Xi's principle of "win-win" solutions to all issues.   

The increases in trade proves that the idea of a Golden Era is working to the benefit of both countries. Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said in a recent interview that more companies from China are looking towards Britain for business.  He said over 500 Chinese enterprises set up offices in Britain and made investments of $21.8 billion in different projects.

Chinese investment is not just in traditional sectors but also in the nuclear field. Already Hinkley Point nuclear project is under construction with a third of its investment coming from China. It is a major undertaking and shows the extent of the increasing involvement by mainland companies in business activities in Britain.

The Golden Era is model of cooperation for other Western nations. May's trip will not only speed up economic activities but also inject new energy into the system. It will also help Britain to explore opportunities for extensive strategic and diplomatic cooperation. 

The British government has come up with the idea of a "Global Britain" to overcome the gloom in the wake of Brexit. The decision by the British voters in favor of quitting the EU came as surprise for many, including the government with Prime Minister David Cameron resigning. Theresa May, as his successor, was tasked to negotiate the divorce and also set the country on a new course of development.

She has been facing bumps and hurdles as not only the major EU powers are making the divorce process painful and expensive, Britain has also experienced strains in its ties with U.S. – the traditional ally and supporter – after Donald Trump took office. 

May met Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos to materialize his working visit. The visit may create more trouble for the government of Theresa May than solving any of the problems, as there are strong sentiments in the country against Trump. 

The unclear nature of business ties with the EU in post-Brexit years and uneasy political relations with Donald Trump has increased the strategic importance of May's visit to Beijing. 

The British leader will also travel to Shanghai and Wuhan and also co-host the first bilateral annual prime ministerial meeting with her Chinese counterpart. Though May has already visited China to attend the G20 Summit held in Hangzhou in September 2016, it was quite different from the first official visit. 

The two sides support the rule-based system of trade and also share a passion for globalization to strengthen the international arrangements for better and create more trade opportunities across the globe. 

It brings President  Xi's project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) which aims to link up Asia with Europe and Africa through commercial and economic bonds for a shared and prosperous future. Britain has already indicated support for the project, which would revive the old Silk Route and benefit millions of people.  

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond last year attended the Belt and Road Forum and announced that Britain was a natural partner in the historic initiative. Ambassador Liu said in the interview that China and Britain are proposing a bilateral investment fund with the first round of $1 billion to support the BRI.

The ambassador also said that the British government recently pledged up to $33.3 billion worth of financial support for companies participating in the Belt and Road projects in Asia. 

It shows the right atmosphere for the visit of the PM May who can contribute her share to broadening the existing cooperation between the two countries. She has an opportunity to strengthen not only the Golden Era but also the brand of Global Britain.  

Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

Related

• Theresa May arrives in China on official visit

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)