Very British China problems
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Royal Mint Court
14 min read
The article mentions the Royal Mint building now owned by the Chinese government for a proposed embassy. This Wikipedia article covers the historic building's significance and the controversial Chinese purchase, providing essential background on one of the 'three issues' referenced.
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China–United Kingdom relations
13 min read
While somewhat broad, this article provides the historical foundation needed to understand the current tensions - from the Opium Wars to Hong Kong handover to modern espionage concerns. Essential context for understanding why six prime ministers have struggled with China policy.
This week’s most important China news and best writing in English on China.
This week’s focus
A season of unease over China in the U.K.
China-U.S. relations have been temporarily stabilized by the meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in South Korea on October 30. But in the United Kingdom, nobody seems to quite know how to approach Beijing.
The “golden era” of China-U.K. relations promised in 2015 by then prime minister David Cameron never worked out. The following five occupants of 10 Downing Street, including current prime minister Keir Starmer, have all dithered between welcoming Chinese money and fearing its influence, its espionage, and its manufacturing dominance.
In the last few weeks, three issues have clearly demonstrated the British government’s lack of a vision for relations with China:
The gigantic n…
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