The Determinants of the UK’s Shifting Political Relations with China (2013-2023)

Abstract

This study examines the United Kingdom’s political relations with China. The bilateral affairs between the two were once claimed to have entered a golden era. However, just a few years after this promotion, the relations underwent a significant negative shift which has lasted in an increasingly worsening fashion until current times. The key focus of this paper is on the evolution of the relationship during the period between 2013 and 2023. Its primary objective is to provide a structured account of the relationship in the years covered there to understand better the UK’s political/diplomatic position on China, a rising major power. In the first part after the introduction, the emergence and evolution of the socalled Golden Era along with the earlier signs of its transformation are offered. Later, the key political issues revolving around both China's aggression at home and abroad, and China-related influence and espionage efforts inside the UK are discussed. Lastly, the UK’s new protective measures implemented in relation to the political issues it has had with China are discussed. In the conclusion, key findings are presented to make the current tide of the UK’s political relations with China more comprehensible.