Formally designating China as a "threat," if eventually announced by the UK government, is seen by Chinese observers as a clear shift that London is abandoning its pragmatism and bowing to Washington's long-term pressure of being hostile toward Beijing. They also believe it would be a bad move and a "diplomatic failure" for the new Prime Minister Liz Truss, if being anti-China is a tactic to shore up her faltering premiership before the next election, as such a decision will strike a heavy blow to the UK's staggering economy and eventually further impinge on Truss's rule.

China is to be formally designated a "threat" to the UK in a rewrite of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's defense and foreign policy, the Guardian reported on Tuesday. Under Johnson, China had been categorized as a "systemic competitor" but the UK media said it seems like Truss wants to take a more hawkish stance quickly.

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