How Sunak defines China’s role to affect ‘pragmatism’ of British foreign policy

The long-term pragmatic foreign policy desired by the government of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may reduce the negative impact of the uncertainty on the British side in previous China-UK relations. However, if it cannot value China’s role comprehensively and objectively, such a plan may exacerbate tensions between China and Britain, experts warned, ahead of Sunak’s upcoming speech on British foreign policy on Monday.

According to the Guardian, Sunak will pledge an “evolutionary approach” to British foreign policy, arguing that states like Russia and China plan for the long term and the UK needs to follow suit, as he attempts to set out his vision for the country’s place on the global stage.

In his first major foreign policy speech since becoming prime minister, Sunak will draw on his years running the Treasury to say that the UK’s strength abroad must be underpinned by a strong economy at home as it stands up to competitors with “robust pragmatism,” the Guardian said.

The big problems in British foreign policy in recent years is that it lacks systematic planning and long-term strategy, said Cui Hongjian, director of the Department of European Studies at the China Institute of International Studies.

This so-called long-term policy should first solve the problem of how to value China’s role in its foreign policy, according to experts.

If the Sunak government really wants to achieve “robust pragmatism,” it must stick to economic cooperation with China, experts said. If Britain wants to appear to have a foreign policy of its own, it should focus more on its own interests rather than being held hostage to some countries’ strategic goals, Cui said.