Sino File | For China and Britain, some special relationships are more special than others
China’s ties with Russia may appear on more solid ground than its ties with Britain. But they will face a test when the two leaders retire
Of all the relationships between major powers, three stand out as having been defined officially as “special”.
The centuries-old relationship between the United States and Britain, the three-year one between China and Russia, and the months-long one between China and Britain.
Global diplomacy has long been dominated by realpolitik, from Machiavelli to Kissinger, though debate rages over whether it is best to base ties on pragmatism or idealism.
It was the British who first summed up diplomatic pragmatism when Lord Palmerston, a prime minister in the 19th century, said: “We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”
It was also the British who pioneered diplomatic idealism, by building an intimate and harmonious “special relationship” with the US.