China's economic power buys British silence on human rights

For Prime Minister David Cameron and the British government, Premier Li Keqiang's recent visit could not have gone better. The two sides announced a series of huge investments in British infrastructure and energy, expanded trade opportunities and moves to increase the number of Chinese tourists and students. Diplomatic relations, which turned frosty following Cameron's meeting with the Dalai Lama in 2012, are back on track.

Cameron achieved all this with barely a dissenting murmur from the opposition Labour Party. And, preoccupied by the football team's usual travails at the World Cup, the English media barely noted that the government's embrace of Chinese money was unencumbered even by lip service to rights and values.

For China, the visit was likewise a success. The British laid out the red carpet and Li performed well on it, showing himself to be confident, relaxed and statesmanlike. Uncomfortable questions at public engagements were kept to a minimum.

In the Chinese diplomatic vocabulary, it was a "win-win" situation. But what the Chinese describe as win-win often entails sacrifices for their negotiating partners. On this occasion, it was Britain's public commitment to human rights and its moral duty to Hong Kong that fell by the wayside.

The dilemma is familiar and banal. The UK needs Chinese investment. But it doesn't want to, or doesn't want to appear to, sacrifice the "democratic values" that are important to its own sense of identity. The tension between these objectives has played out in the Foreign Office and the government over the past couple of years.

The UK economy does possess comparative advantages, like its liberal financial sector, that make it an attractive target for Chinese investors seeking productive returns. In that sense it is not misleading to describe the deals as mutually beneficial.