For the second time in a decade, the British Government finds itself asking what sort of relationship it wants with the Chinese Communist Party and the PRC.
David Cameron and Xi Jinping, 21st of October 2015. Credit: Number 10 via Flickr
The U.K.’s ruling Conservative Party is in the process of choosing a new leader, who will by default become the next Prime Minister of the country. Only two candidates remain: former Chancellor [equivalent to a finance minister] Rishi Sunak, and current Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. The winner will inherit an ugly domestic policy in-tray, thanks to a spiraling cost of living crisis, with just two years to go before the next General Election. They will also inherit an urgent foreign policy concern not seen for a decade — China.
Britain’s relationship with China looked very different for the last three Conservative Prime Ministers when they walked into Number 10 Downing Street. Each operated during a period in which a deliberate effort was underway to strengthen bilateral ties, called the Golden Era, which lasted roughly from 2014 to 2020. Its roots lay in an earlier Conservative Government, led by David Cameron and closely advised by his chancellor, George Osborne.
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