Sino File | Golden era with China, or special relationship with Trump? Brexit Boris must choose for Britain
- Managing relations with the warring world powers will be a delicate balancing act for new British prime minister, Boris Johnson
- He has expressed interest in Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, but will the US-Britain ‘special relationship’ tip the scales in America’s favour?
According to Brexit supporters, Britain’s decision to leave the European Union is not about turning its back on the world. Rather, it is about staking out a new position in the global economy as a sovereign state that can make deals with like-minded partners without the constraints of being an EU member.
Britain’s new prime minister, Boris Johnson, is apparently seeking what some British diplomats have called a “special relationship” with both powers, as Britain is hungry for new partners and markets to offset any losses in its relationship with the 27 nations that will remain in the EU.
In an interview with a Hong Kong broadcaster a day before he succeeded Theresa May as prime minister, Johnson said his government would be very “pro-China” and that the British were “enthusiastic” about the China-centred trading network that Beijing was building. Johnson, who campaigned for Brexit ahead of the referendum in 2016, also vowed to keep Britain “the most open economy in Europe” for Chinese investment.
He has pledged to extricate Britain from the EU by October 31 “come what may”, but a no-deal Brexit would likely precipitate a trade war of sorts, which could be catastrophic for the British economy if Johnson can’t negotiate favourable parallel trade deals with the US and China in time. The risk of a recession might drive him to rush into their embrace immediately. Britain already receives more Chinese foreign direct investment than any other EU country and is one of Beijing’s top three trade partners in Europe.
