Exclusive | Peter Mandelson on why UK’s U-turn on China was a big ‘mistake’, what Labour will do next

The close Starmer adviser says ‘violent’ shifts in diplomatic direction are not realistic or sensible

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Britain’s Labour government is seeking consistency in its engagement with China, according to a close aide to Keir Starmer. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:00pm, 26 Sep 2024Updated: 6:40pm, 26 Sep 2024

Britain’s biggest mistake with China over the past decade was its sharp shift from courtship to aversion, according to a British Labour Party veteran, who stressed that Britain could not afford to boycott Beijing.

Peter Mandelson, a close adviser to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and an influential figure in the Labour Party during the Tony Blair era, told the Post that the new Labour government would do things differently – seeking to stabilise relations and offer consistency in Britain’s relationship with China.

“It does not mean normalising the relationship as this isn’t possible given how much we compete with China and sometimes challenge China … But we need a relationship that enables us to cooperate with China when desirable and necessary,” he said.

“And it’s that clarity and that continuity that we are pursuing in any re-engagement with China following the audit of the relationship.”

Peter Mandelson at the annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool, England, on September 26, 2022. Photo: AFP

Led by successive Conservative governments for more than a decade, Britain’s ties with China declined as it grew to view China as a security challenge.