Abstract
'The speed at which dominant discourses about the nature and consequences of economic interdependence with China has shifted in the UK is quite remarkable. To be sure, dissatisfaction with what became known as the "Osborne Doctrine" was evident long before Osborne and Cameron stood down in 2016; and notably from within their own party. But in terms of the dominant governments discourse, in not much more than years maybe even less the idea of a golden age of Sino-UK relations gave way to the idea of a China challenge to UK national security. Explaining this shift entails thinking about how narratives are developed and disseminated in UK politics. It also entails thinking about domestic political changes in China and the UK, and also in the broader international environment that the bilateral relationship exists within.
In essence, its seems that the UK, like every other country, wants all the benefits of dealing with a rising China, with none of problems or downsides. This is in many respects the whole point of "de-risking" (as opposed to de-coupling) economic relations. There are different ways of trying to do this, but its not clear how successful any of them might be, and how much they would cost. There is also the question of whether actively derisking would make it harder to deal with China in those issue areas where some sort of cooperation seems more appropriate than conflict. This perhaps explains the logic behind Sunak's "robust pragmatism" and Labour's "progressive realism", as successive governments try to navigate at times conflicting priorities and impulses.'
Speaker Biography
Shaun Breslin is Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick.
He is currently also Co-Editor of The Pacific Review, and currently the academic lead on the EU funded project, EuroHub4Sino.
