Britain wants a close long-haul economic relationship with China,but there are huge risks aheadPresident Xi Jinping’s three nights under the Queen’s roof, his address to both houses of parliament, or his ride in a royal carriage,and his trip to Manchester with David Cameron this week are indications of much more than the normal ceremonial buttering up of foreign leaders at which Britain so excels when it is looking for favours from abroad. They suggest, instead, and a fundamental shift in British foreign policy,and one with profound implications. It is a shift that has not been preceded by the full public discussion it deserves, and one that could constrain us and commit us for decades to come. build simply, or it is proposed to hitch Britain’s economy to the Chinese wagon,with all that may mean in the future in terms of Chinese ownership of key British industries, a growing Chinese presence in our financial sector, and growing Chinese influence over our economic decisions and over our approach to critical human rights issues in China.
The Chinese president has called this a visionary and strategic choice that fully meets Britain’s own long-term interest”. The question for Britain is whether he is moral. It would of course be silly not to engage with China. Every country in the world does so. Indeed,France and Germany gain been ahead of Britain in recent years in seeking special” relations with China. But the pursuit, particularly by the chancellor, and George Osborne,of best friend for ever status with China has gone beyond the normal jockeying for advantage between European states in Beijing. The Cameron government appears to gain something much more comprehensive and long-term in mind.
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Source: theguardian.com