Yue Parkinson

Opinion | Souring UK-China relations mean my path to politics has been a lonely one

The community of Chinese immigrants in Britain used to take pride in members of the diaspora succeeding in British politics, but that is no longer the case

As Sino-British relations have worsened, more mainland migrants have started living in the UK according to China’s unspoken rules and dare not speak out

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A voter exits a polling station on the day of the by-election for Britain’s parliamentary constituency of Uxbridge in west London on July 20. Photo: EPA-EFE

Yue Parkinson

Published: 7:30pm, 27 Dec 2023Updated: 8:32pm, 27 Dec 2023

Participation in British politics is a major concern for the Chinese community. Until relations between Britain and China turned sour, the first generation of mainland immigrants took a keen interest in Chinese participation in UK elections as the newest immigrant group in the Chinese community. They regarded any success, whether in a regional or general election, as a source of pride.

I witnessed this at its height, when I reported on British Chinese participation in the 2015 and 2017 general elections for the BBC Chinese network. This was well received by the Chinese immigrant community.

It has been my dream to take part in elections, but I always believed I was not strong enough, thinking voters would discriminate against my looks and accent. This misunderstanding was shattered in March, when I was encouraged by the Chinese Liberal Democrats to join the party and quickly became a candidate in district council elections in May.

However, my entry into politics has not been welcomed by the mainland Chinese community. My path to politics has been a lonely one as the immigrant community from China has alienated me, rather than caring about me.

A good friend, whom I have known for more than a decade, told me that if we met, it would be best not to post photos of our meeting on social media because she has good relations with the Chinese government, and that it would be unwise for me to stand in the UK general election. I was surprised by her words as she, like me, has lived in the UK for 19 years. We didn’t end up meeting and have not been in touch since.

Since the deterioration of Sino-British relations accelerated in 2020, we first-generation immigrants from China have had to choose where we stand. We can be pro-China, silent or pro-British.