Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Britain has been hailed by Chinese and British officials as the start of a "golden era" in ties between the two countries. The trip has also triggered debate about whether closer Sino-UK ties could affect the current international order.

Similar questions were raised in March when Britain, which is always viewed as a close US ally, went against US advice and applied to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). It seems the "golden era" is likely to bring about not only a series of economic deals worth a large amount of money, but also active cooperation in national strategies.

The growing cooperation between Britain and China has attracted great attention around the world and some Western media reports have criticized Britain's efforts to bend over backward to prove its friendship to China.

Will a "golden era" in China-UK ties put pressure on Britain's relationship with the US and affect the current international order? It is not wise to draw simplistic conclusions.

From an economic perspective, Britain's new policy of intensifying Sino-UK cooperation is a visionary choice that meets Britain's long-term interests. The Chinese economy is changing its model, and instead of focusing on foreign investment, the country is increasingly seeking overseas business opportunities. Meanwhile, more Western firms view China as their biggest potential market, rather than just a production and processing base.

This is fundamentally changing the economic relationship between China and the Western world. The developed economies now may need to compete with each other for the new wave of Chinese investment and its fast-growing domestic consumer market.

Britain's new policy, including an effort to turn London into a key trading centre in the world for China's currency, will perhaps help the country get ahead of the competition.

It is too political to view the UK's policy of intensifying Sino-UK cooperation as a strategic choice between China and the US. A "golden era" in China-UK ties will not pose a threat to the current international order if the US can keep pace with its competitors to share the benefit of China's rise.

But unfortunately, the US may still lag behind in terms of establishing a closer economic relationship with China, making Britain's efforts to build stronger ties stand out more.

In fact, the US economy has suffered a loss from the failure to adjust its strategy. According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, US firms are lagging behind in the race to win Chinese markets. The Western world may need to wake up to the benefits of China's rise and abandon their skeptical attitude toward having a closer relationship with China.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn

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