Diplomacy, much of the time, is about symbols rather than substance. And in the case of China, that can be particularly true.In this sense, what was important about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to China at the end of January was that it happened at all. In recent years, there have been plenty of tensions between the two countries: the accusations against two British citizens of spying for China, the delay in the approval for the new Chinese embassy in London, the trial against democracy activist Jimmy Lai, etc.The fact that Starmer made the trip to Beijing – the first one for a British prime minister in eight years – indicated that the arguments in favour of doing it outweighed the negatives of it. What certainly tipped the balance was the increased intensity with which the US administration is now turning on its traditional allies.The visit did not reset relations, but it revealed that the world has entered a new era of global power dynamics, which is already reflected in diplomacy.On January 23, just a week before his trip to China, Starmer summoned up a rare display of public anger, condemning US President Donald Trump’s remarks about British troops in Afghanistan.This made the visit to Beijing very different from those of previous British prime ministers. In the past, …
