I’m backing China, says David Cameron as he arrives in Beijing
British prime minister, David Cameron, calls for new trade agreement as he flies into Beijing hoping to appease leaders angry at Dalai Lama meeting last year
Britain will act as China’s strongest advocate in the west, British prime minister, David Cameron, declared last night as he flew into Beijing pledging to lead a “dialogue of mutual respect and understanding”.
In a sign of the British government’s determination to appease Beijing, which was furious when Cameron met the Dalai Lama last year, the prime minister said that no country was more open to China as he called for a new EU-China free trade agreement.
Writing in the Chinese weekly news magazine Caixin, Cameron said: “Put simply, there is no country in the western world more open to Chinese investment, more able to meet the demands of Chinese consumers, or more willing to make the case for economic openness in the G8, the G20 and the European Union. And there is no country more ready to forge a dialogue of mutual respect and understanding that can address issues of concern and advance our shared interests in the world.”
The PM’s effusive praise for China came as he landed in Beijing at the head of Britain’s largest overseas trade and ministerial mission, designed to restore full relations after his meeting with the Dalai Lama. The delegation includes the architect Zaha Hadid, ex-England footballer Graeme Le Saux, Arts Council chair Sir Peter Bazalgette, the chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, Ralf Speth, and Karren Brady, the vice-chairman of London football club West Ham United.
But Cameron came under fire last night from Labour for including figures close to him in the delegation. On the trip are his stepfather-in-law, Viscount Astor, representing Silvergate Media; the Conservative (Tory) peer Lord Chadlington, who helped to house the Camerons when the PM first fought the parliamentary seat of Witney; and the Tory donor and peer Lord Leigh of Hurley, of Cavendish Corporate Finance. Jon Ashworth, the Labour party Cabinet Office minister, said: “Whether it’s dinners for donors or jetsetting trips for his friends, David Cameron rarely misses a trick to favour those close to him. Meanwhile, everyone else is offered no respite from the everyday reality of the Tory cost of living crisis.”
Cameron will meet the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in Beijing for talks and dinner today. He will then travel to Shanghai, China’s commercial capital, returning to Beijing tomorrow for talks with the premier, Li Keqiang.
