Editor's note: Freddie Reidy, a special commentator for CGTN, is a freelance writer based in London, specialized in international politics. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The United Kingdom's Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, begins a long-anticipated trip to China as her stewardship of the UK Treasury faces choppy waters.

As with comedy, the key to successful trade trips is timing. For the newly installed Chancellor of the Exchequer, the most senior economic minister in the UK government, this three-day visit to Beijing and Shanghai has not come at a good time and risks falling flat, were it not for one significant factor.

The chancellor departed London as the cost of UK borrowing hit a 16-year high. This means that the cost of interest on UK debt is increasing and reducing Reeves' so-called fiscal headroom, the available capital she has within her budget before more borrowing is required. In her first budget in October, Reeves tinkered with these self-imposed fiscal rules, which the new Labor government is using as a yardstick for its' economic credibility.

However, while Reeves attempts to recreate the image of an "iron Chancellor" in the mold of her Labor predecessor Gordon Brown, she runs the risk of falling victim to the particular pitfalls of that inflexibility. Inflexibility could be the undoing of her fledgling stewardship of UK finances. Measures such as the removal of winter fuel allowances for pensioners hurt the government politically and an unexpected hike in employer national insurance contributions has stymied employment and saddled businesses with unforeseen costs.

Reeves has also confined herself to one fiscal statement a year, rather than the traditional two, thus removing a great deal of room for maneuvering without action appearing as panicked responses, a potentially fatal weakness of an "iron Chancellor."

There is hope for the embattled Reeves, though, as she may find a spirit of cooperation in China amid global concerns about Donald Trump's return to the White House. Across the world, nations have been strengthening bonds and renewing alliances, wary of an incoming tariff war, one that no country is entirely insulated against. Reeves stated, "We can build a long-term economic relationship with China that works in the national interest."

The UK trade delegation also includes Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, the chairman of HSBC and the head of the UK's Financial Conduct Authority.

The composition of the delegation strongly indicates a desire from the UK government to further strengthen ties in financial services between the London and Shanghai stock exchanges, with greater cooperation around capital markets, bonds and pensions.

Elsewhere, the China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue, a set of annual bilateral meetings, has been reinvigorated after a six-year hiatus. Indeed, Reeves' own trip is the first by a UK chancellor since Philip Hammond in 2017.

Responding to disquiet in the UK over the timing of the chancellor's visit, Hammond himself told the BBC, "I wouldn't personally recommend the chancellor to cancel her trip to China. I think the trip to China is important and I think this can wait until she gets back next week, but I do think she will need to reassure Parliament about what is going on when she does get back."

As part of this reassurance, the Treasury will also be keen to demonstrate strong relations with its creditors such as China. One of the causes of the soaring cost of debt to the UK is its exposure to fluctuating global economic forces, as Deutsche Bank's strategist George Saravelos told The Times, "The more a country relies on foreign financing for its domestic debt issuance, the more exposed it is to the global environment. The UK is one of the most vulnerable in the G10."

Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of England, warned after the 2016 Brexit referendum that the UK economy is "reliant on the comfort of strangers" given the foreign holding of UK gilts. Chancellor Reeves will be hoping that this first trip by a UK chancellor to China in nine years transforms one particular ‘stranger,’ into a partner.

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