There is no question that the Chinese leadership under President Xi Jinping has reneged on the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 that promised Hong Kong freedom of speech and legal autonomy for 50 years after the 1997 handover from British to Chinese rule. Through repeated so-called “interpretations” of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, Beijing has poisoned our politics and bent the will of our public officials and judiciary.

For those who love this city for its unique mix of cultures and for its stubborn, downright heroic resistance to the increasingly suffocating hand of the central government, it’s a sad state of affairs.

But what about the commitment of the other party to this historic agreement, which established the “one country, two systems” arrangement under which Hong Kong’s way of life was supposed to be protected until 2047?

The answer, unfortunately, can be summed up in one word following British Prime Minister Theresa May’s just concluded three-day trip to China: Pathetic.

As Hong Kong’s besieged pan-democrats were reeling once again this week in the wake of the news that a mid-level bureaucrat—acting entirely on her own, if you choose to believe our wholly unconvincing chief executive—had barred 21-year-old Agnes Chow Ting from entering the race for a seat in the Legislative Council by-election to be held March 11, May was stacking up trade deals on the mainland adding up to more than £9 billion (HK$99.8 billion) while hailing “a golden era” in Sino-British relations.

With every stroke of the pen, the prime minister was cheered on by a large, mercenary entourage representing British businesses and trade groups devoid of interest in the blatant political vetting and erosion of freedoms now taking place in Hong Kong. Since Chow’s disqualification last Saturday, two lesser-known candidates—localist Ventus Lau Wing-hong and Sha Tin District Councillor James Chan Kwok-kung—have also been barred from taking part in the by-election. That makes for a total of 15 Legco disqualifications, either through pre-election screening or ousters from office, in less than two years.

Yes, Britain’s Foreign Office issued a polite expression of concern over Chow’s fate, but then May just signed another trade deal that relegated Hong Kong to a brief, irrelevant side topic in current Sino-British relations.

The Prime Minister was welcomed to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing for a tea ceremony with President Xi #PMinChina pic.twitter.com/8v6SuRv2HD — UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) February 1, 2018

Meanwhile, despite a chorus of disapproval from abroad as well as criticism from prominent academics and lawyers who call Hong Kong home, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor looked straight into the camera’s eye and denied that the decision to bar Chow was a political hatchet job dressed up as a legal judgement that had been orchestrated by her or by anyone else in the Hong Kong or central governments.

No, we are asked to believe, this was just returning officer Anne Teng objectively examining the facts of the case and, without any hint of intervention by her superiors, doing the right thing.

Defending Teng’s decision—which was based on the call for Hong Kong’s self-determination expressed in the manifesto representing Chow’s political party, Demosisto, but made without any consultation with Chow herself—the chief executive declared: “The law is clear. The facts are clear.”

And indeed they are—but not in the twisted, Orwellian, post-interpretation worldview of Beijing and its kowtowing servants, from the chief executive on down, in the Hong Kong government.

According the powers that be in the north and to a chief executive who feels obliged to parrot their linguistic manipulations, advocating self-determination for Hong Kong after the handover agreement expires 29 years from now violates Article 1 of the Basic Law stating that Hong Kong is “an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China.”

While dogmatically stating and restating that point, Lam and her masters in Beijing also doggedly choose to ignore other key provisions in the Basic Law safeguarding freedom of speech and free and fair participation in elections—provisions that a group of 30 of the city’s top lawyers, including the current head of the Bar Association, Philip Dykes, insists make the barring of Chow “unreasonable, unlawful and unconstitutional.”

Hong Kong officials also don’t bother to explain why Nathan Law Kwun-chun—who, along with Chow and Joshua Wong Chi-fung, is a cofounder of Demosisto—was in 2016 allowed to run and win the same Hong Kong Island Legco seat that Chow has now been prohibited from contesting. In an earlier Beijing-engineered injustice, Law would subsequently be disqualified as a lawmaker for adding words of protest to his oath during the Legco swearing-in ceremony, but no one ever argued that he was ineligible to even run.

It seems the rules—or at least the government’s interpretation of the rules—have become quite fluid depending on the politics of the moment and the dictates of the central government. Somewhat unexpectedly, the candidacy of another pan-democrat—Edward Yiu Chung-yim, a contender for the Kowloon West seat vacated by another casualty of the oath-taking debacle, Youngspiration’s Yau Wai-ching–was approved last week. But that approval came only after Yiu, who last July was also disqualified from Legco for altering his oath, was subjected to what amounted to a loyalty test by yet another overzealous returning officer.

Not surprisingly, news of Chow’s disqualification has been poorly received beyond our shores. A host of distinguished organisations and figures—from Human Rights Watch to the European Union to former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten—have all denounced it, but the growing mountain of criticism against Beijing’s roughshod incursions on Hong Kong’s autonomy is dismissed as “foreign meddling” by our chief executive, again echoing her masters across the border.

Patten and the former leader of Britain’s Liberal Democrats, Paddy Ashdown, went so far as to coauthor a letter to May urging her not to sacrifice Hong Kong’s freedoms on the altar of Mammon during her China trip.

Apparently, however, the prime minister was too busy signing trade deals to read it.</s>China’s state-run media has commended a “pragmatic” Theresa May for resisting calls to publicly challenge Beijing over Hong Kong and human rights during her three-day visit.



In an editorial on Friday, the third and final day of May’s tour, the Global Times newspaper said the prime minister had wisely “sidestepped” such issues as she sought “pragmatic collaboration” between Britain and the world’s number two economy.

“Some western media outlets keep pestering May to criticise Beijing in an attempt to showcase that the UK has withstood pressure from China and the west has consolidated its commanding position over the country in politics,” the Communist party-run tabloid claimed in its English-language edition.

“Certain democracy activists in Hong Kong also intervened,” the nationalist newspaper added, pointing to an article in the Guardian on Wednesday in which Joshua Wong urged May to challenge Beijing’s “relentless crackdown” on the former British colony.



However, the Global Times congratulated May for turning a deaf ear to such calls, which it attributed to “radical public opinion”.

“May will definitely not make any comment contrary to the goals of her China trip … For the prime minister, the losses outweigh the gains if she appeases the British media at the cost of the visit’s friendly atmosphere.”

The Global Times’ Chinese-language edition agreed western media “mudslinging” was an exercise in futility. “Nothing can stop China-UK cooperation: noise and nagging will be carried away by the wind,” it said.

As she flew out to China on Tuesday, May pledged to raise Hong Kong and human rights with Chinese leaders. However, at a press conference with her host, Premier Li Keqiang, on Wednesday she mentioned neither. In fact Li made the only reference to human rights, which he said had been discussed as part of a wider conversation about topics including intellectual property rights and UK-China trade.

A spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, Hua Chunying, appeared to approve of May’s decision not to publicly raise the topics, telling reporters: “You must have felt the strong and positive willingness on the British side to enhance all-around cooperation with China.” 



Cui Hongjian, the head of the European studies department at the China Institute of International Studies, said May was in an unenviable bind as she struggled to please both western public opinion and Beijing. “Actually, I feel sympathy for Theresa May.”</s>China’s Global Times has praised UK prime minister Theresa May for her pragmatism in refusing to comment publicly on China’s human rights record and the erosion of autonomy in Hong Kong during her three-day visit.

The newspaper, which is not the official voice of the ruling Communist Party but does give an insight into the views of more nationalist elements in China, said that she had sought to expand “pragmatic collaboration” to boost trade.

“However, some western media outlets keep pestering May to criticise Beijing in an attempt to showcase that the UK has withstood pressure from China and the West has consolidated its commanding position over the country in politics,” the paper said in an editorial in its English-language edition.

Trade dominated the headlines during Ms May’s three-day visit, which ended in Shanghai on Friday, with £9 billion (€10.25 billion) in trade deals, but there was no comment – in public anyway – on China’s human rights record or an open letter from Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong calling on Ms May to “stand up for Hong Kong’s rights”.

Nor was there public reference to concerns about China’s “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative.

Ms May was given broad assurances by President Xi Jinping that Brexit would not affect a “golden era” of Sino-British relations and what has been seen as a first step towards a free trade agreement post-Brexit.

The Global Times said that Ms May, like French president Emmanuel Macron during his visit in January, had not denounced China.

“Europeans must overcome prejudices and negative sentiments toward China,” the paper said.

“Radical voices are often heard in European public opinion on China-related issues, but they do not represent Sino-European relations and will gradually die down in the face of realistic needs,” the paper said.

Ms May was warmly received during the trip, with references in local media to her affectionate nickname “Auntie May” and comments about the handsomeness of her husband Philip.

However, her visit was overshadowed by political bickering at home over Brexit and threats to her leadership from within the Tory ranks.

She stood firm on her leadership, saying she was “no quitter” and on Friday gave a robust response to suggestions from her colleagues, such as chancellor Philip Hammond, that Brexit would involve only modest changes to economic relations with the EU.

“We will be leaving the single market, leaving the customs union. What we are going to then negotiate will be a free trade agreement with the European Union, ” Ms May said in an interview with Sky News in Shanghai, on the last day of her trip.

“It means we can get on with the job of enhancing trade round the world – important for prosperity and jobs,” she said.</s>Prime Minister Theresa May left China with deals worth more than £9.3bn, at the end of a three-day trade mission. The deals will create over 2,500 jobs across the UK, the British government has said.

During a meeting in Beijing yesterday, Chinese president Xi Jinping told May that the two countries should “add new meaning into the bilateral ties so as to forge an enhanced version of the ‘Golden Era’, according to the state-run media.

Speaking at a business summit in Shanghai, May said Britain was keen to help bring Xi’s vision for globalisation and a more open Chinese economy to life: “Meanwhile, the UK is preparing to leave the European Union. We’re seizing the opportunity to become an ever-more outward-looking Global Britain, deepening our trade relations with nations around the world - including China.”

Chinese investment is helping Britain develop infrastructure and create jobs, with some 50,000 British businesses importing goods from China and more than 10,000 sell their goods to China, May said.

As the world’s second-largest economy, China is high on the list of countries that Britain wants to sign a free trade agreement with.

“We’ve agreed on moves to bring more of the UK’s internationally renowned food and drink to China, to open up the market to some of Britain’s world-class financial services providers,” May further said.</s>SHANGHAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May landed in China earlier this week fending off questions about her future amid mounting accusations of poor leadership, boring policies, and weakness over Brexit.

By Friday the 61-year old leader was basking in a warm reception from the leaders of world’s second-largest economy, while concerned Chinese citizens affectionately nicknamed her ‘Aunty May’ and worried if her legs were warm enough in the Beijing cold.

“What’s past is prologue,” said President Xi Jinping during his one-to-one meeting with May, quoting British playwright William Shakespeare to signal his hopes for strengthening ties.

The three-day trade visit has seen May earn assurances from China that Brexit will not affect the country’s enthusiasm for the so-called “golden era” of relations and a promise to open up Chinese markets to new British business.

While words will mean little if not backed up with action, and there are scant details about the headline announcement of 9 billion pounds of trade deals signed during the trip, the mood music for May’s visit pointed to a Chinese state seeking to rally support around her.

“Her political style is known for being pragmatic and strong and deft at decision making. She’s Britain’s Iron Lady,” said the Hubei Daily, an official regional newspaper, referring to the nickname of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

There was no sign of a hangover from the 2016 diplomatic spat between the two nations caused by May’s decision to delay a part Chinese-funded nuclear plant over concerns about foreign investment in key British infrastructure.

“China really respects Britain,” said the influential Global Times tabloid - the same newspaper which in 2013 dismissed Britain as “just an old European country apt for travel and study” in a scathing editorial during a visit by May’s predecessor David Cameron, who had infuriated China by meeting the Dalai Lama.

One Chinese official remarked dryly to Reuters: “Nobody would call him Uncle Cameron”.

Asked by Chinese state television about her new moniker - a common Chinese term of endearment for respected women - May said she was honoured, and her officials were privately thrilled that the name had stuck.

By contrast, the front page of this week’s Spectator, a British political magazine, reads “Lead or go”, above a stark, unflattering cartoon of May, hunched and bow-legged.

But, Britain is not the only state looking to woo China.

Last month France’s energetic young President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beijing with an attention-grabbing gift, a rare horse, although his tough words over Xi’s signature plan to create a trillion-dollar modern-day Silk Road raised eyebrows.

Diplomatic sources say while China has expressed concern about Brexit, it has also been reassured by messages that Britain’s door is wide open to Chinese investment - a marked contrast to the suspicious reception Chinese companies have recently received in Germany.

May brought up awkward issues like democracy in Hong Kong, human rights and ethical concerns about Xi’s Belt and Road initiative, but was praised as “pragmatic” by the Global Times for not pressing the issue in public.

“For the prime minister, the losses outweigh the gains if she appeases the British media at the cost of the visit’s friendly atmosphere,” the paper wrote in an editorial on Friday.

On Chinese social media, concern about May’s visit focussed on less weighty issues - like whether her exposed legs were warm enough after a photograph of her with husband Phillip inside Beijing’s Forbidden City.

“Theresa, you really know how to stand up to the cold,” wrote one of over 17,000 users to comment on her official Chinese-language Weibo account.</s>Downing Street has denied claims in the Chinese media that Theresa May “sidestepped” human rights during her three-day visit to the far eastern giant.

The Global Times applauded Mrs May for supposedly resisting “radical” pressure at home to raise concerns over the treatment of democracy protesters in Hong Kong, in order to focus on improving trade and investment links with the world’s second largest economy.

But a senior Number 10 source insisted that Mrs May had raised the issue of Hong Kong – where more than 100 activists were detained in protests over alleged encroachment by Beijing on the former colony’s partial autonomy – and broader human rights in her discussions with both President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang.

An account of the talks with Xi released by Downing Street said that both leaders had restated their commitment to the “One Country Two Systems” arrangements in place since the UK handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997.

The Global Times, which is largely viewed as a mouthpiece for the Beijing regime, said in an editorial that Mrs May was right to resist “radical” pressure to highlight human rights concerns, and instead to confine herself to “enthusiastic and positive remarks about China”.

“For the prime minister, the losses outweigh the gains if she appeases the British media at the cost of the visit’s friendly atmosphere,” said the newspaper. “China’s robust development has instilled impetus for Europe to overcome its prejudices against Beijing.”

Mrs May issued a call for gender equality in her address to business leaders in Shanghai on the last day of her trip.

In a speech to the UK-China Business Forum, the Prime Minister said: “The UK and China together have the capacity to play a huge role in advocating for gender equality. But all too often those good intentions don’t lead to positive outcomes, and that’s something we should all be working to tackle.”

She hailed the work on gender equality of Alibaba entrepreneur Jack Ma – believed to be China’s richest man – whom she met at the forum.

Mrs May said that her visit had marked Britain and China “opening a new chapter in our golden era”, with commercial deals totalling £9 billion signed.

These included a five-year export drive by Aston Martin worth £600 million and involving more than 20 showrooms for the luxury cars across China, as well as plans by Staffordshire-based Busy Bees to open a string of childcare nurseries including an international pre-school in Shanghai.

Just hours after Mrs May’s arrival in Shanghai, the city was put on alert after a van loaded with gas cannisters ploughed into pedestrians, injuring 18 people, three of them seriously.

The incident occurred as Mrs May held talks with Shanghai mayor Ying Yong in a hotel around five miles away, but her itinerary was not disrupted. Police later said the crash was believed to be an accident.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said that more than £9.3 billion in deals signed in China would create 2,500 new jobs in the UK, with the figure expected to rise as more agreements are sealed.

Dr Fox said: “I am delighted to have joined the Prime Minister on this crucial and incredibly fruitful visit.

“The agreements signed this week, valued at more than £9 billion, demonstrate a clear demand for British goods and services.

“As an international economic department, we will continue to develop this valuable relationship, which already benefits British companies to the tune of £59 billion in trade each year.”</s>Hounded by Brexit rows at home, Prime Minister Theresa May was due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday to forge deeper trade ties after Britain leaves the EU.

May began her trip with plans to announce nine billion pounds ($12.7 billion) in business deals, an agreement to end a ban on British beef and promises to seek more trade opportunities.

But criticism in London over her domestic agenda and her handling of Britain's contentious divorce with the European Union loomed large, prompting her to declare she was "not a quitter" as she flew to China.

Brexit figured in her talks with Premier Li Keqiang at the start of her visit on Wednesday. She meets Xi later on Thursday after visiting an agricultural sciences academy.

"Brexit is a situation that both our countries face," Li said, reassuring her that "our bilateral relationship will not change with the changes of UK relations".

Both leaders championed a "golden era" of relations between their countries as they seek new trade opportunities.

"We are determined to deepen our trading relationship even further and we are ambitious for what our future trade relationship will be," May said.

She said they also agreed new measures to improve access to the Chinese market, including lifting a ban on British beef exports to China within six months.

In a nod to her hosts, May said "we welcome the opportunities" provided by China's cherished Belt and Road initiative, a massive infrastructure project aimed at reviving ancient Silk Road trade routes and creating greater market access for Chinese companies.

But she threw in a caveat, saying the two countries would continue to work together to ensure that the endeavour "meets international standards".

Wooing China is part of her government's broader strategy to seek deeper trade ties with countries beyond Europe's borders after Britain leaves the EU next year.

Britain runs a 25.4-billion-pound trade deficit with the Asian giant and only 3.1 percent of British exports go to the country, according to Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist at IHS Markit.

The British prime minister was also under pressure to address the political situation in Hong Kong and human rights abuses in mainland China.

Chinese authorities have carried out a relentless crackdown on civil society since Xi took office in 2012.

But she had yet to make public statements about either matter as she prepared to meet with Xi.

Before her trip the former British governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, sent a letter to Downing Street saying the semi-autonomous city, which London handed back to Beijing in 1997, was facing "increasing threats to the basic freedoms, human rights and autonomy".</s>Hounded by Brexit rows at home, Prime Minister Theresa May met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday to seek deeper trade ties after Britain leaves the European Union.

May began her trip with plans to announce nine billion pounds ($12.7 billion) in business deals, an agreement to end a ban on British beef and promises to seek more trade opportunities.

But criticism in London over her domestic agenda and her handling of Britain’s contentious divorce with the European Union loomed large, prompting her to declare she was “not a quitter” before her arrival.

May held talks with Xi at the Diaoyutai State Guest House on Thursday after visiting an agricultural sciences academy, but there were no immediate readouts of their meeting.

The BBC reported that May, who was expected to raise environmental concerns, would present Xi with a box set of the network’s Blue Planet II series, with a personal message from presenter David Attenborough.

Brexit crept into her talks with Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday, though her Chinese counterpart reassured her that their “golden era” of relations would not be affected by London’s EU departure.

“As a trade and strategic partner of both Britain and the EU, China certainly hopes that the result (of Brexit) will be good for both sides,” said Cui Hongjian, director of the European studies department at the China Institute of International Studies.

“If it comes to a double-lose result, that will be also unfavourable to China,” Cui told AFP.

China worries that Britain’s EU exit will remove a pro-free trade force from the bloc and give rise to protectionism, he said”

Wooing China is part of London’s broader strategy to seek deeper trade ties with countries beyond Europe’s borders after Britain leaves the EU next year.

Britain runs a 25.4-billion-pound trade deficit with the Asian giant and only 3.1 percent of British exports go to the country, according to Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific chief economist at IHS Markit.

“A key focus for PM May’s visit will need to be on how to improve market access for UK exports of goods and services into the Chinese market,” Biswas said.

May said on Wednesday that the two countries had agreed new measures to improve such access, including lifting a ban on British beef exports to China within six months.

She also cautiously welcomed China’s Belt and Road initiative, a massive infrastructure project aimed at reviving ancient Silk Road trade routes and creating greater market access for Chinese companies.

But she stressed that the two countries would continue to work together to ensure that the endeavour “meets international standards”.

The project has spurred both interest and anxiety in many countries, with some seeing it as an example of Chinese expansionism.

Despite the concerns, Standard Chartered announced a memorandum of understanding in which the British bank would receive 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) from the state-owned China Development Bank to back Silk Road projects.

The British prime minister was also under pressure to address the political situation in Hong Kong and human rights abuses in mainland China.

Chinese authorities have carried out a relentless crackdown on civil society since Xi took office in 2012.

But she had yet to make public statements about either matter during her visit, which ends in the business hub of Shanghai on Friday.

Before her trip the former British governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, sent a letter to Downing Street saying the semi-autonomous city, which London handed back to Beijing in 1997, was facing “increasing threats to the basic freedoms, human rights and autonomy”.</s>Humiliated Theresa May is skulking back to Britain today after being praised for kowtowing to China over human rights.

The country's Global Times newspaper backed the Prime Minister for “sidestepping” human rights in talks with Chinese leaders.

The Communist Party's mouthpiece slammed western journalists for urging Mrs May to raise the thorny issue with President Xi Jinping.

Under an article headlined “Sino-UK partnership transcends media mudslinging over human rights”, the voice of the hardline regime hailed the PM for keeping her mouth shut.

The paper said: “British Prime Minister Theresa May is visiting China, seeking to expand pragmatic collaboration with the country so as to pave the way for future trade and investment deals.

“However, some Western media outlets keep pestering May to criticize Beijing in an attempt to showcase that the UK has withstood pressure from China and the West has consolidated its commanding position over the country in politics.”

In a thinly-veiled threat to the PM, who was earlier dubbed “Auntie May” by adoring Chinese,

the Global Times suggested trade deals Mrs May hopes for could be jeopardised if she dared to criticise the regime.

“May will definitely not make any comment contrary to the goals of her China trip,” said the paper.

“For the Prime Minister, the losses outweigh the gains if she appeases the British media at the cost of the visit's friendly atmosphere.”

On her flight to the Far East, Mrs May pledged to tackle the Chinese over human rights.

But, following talks with President Xi Jinping, all No 10 would say was that the pair “discussed Hong Kong, and reiterated the importance of and their commitment to 'one country, two systems'”.

A spokesman insisted: “The PM and President agreed the importance of having frank conversations in areas where the two countries do not see eye to eye, and looked forward to further deepening their ties in the ‘golden era’, including in areas such as culture and education.”

The Global Times also praised French President Emmanuel Macron for dodging human rights when he visited.

“Some European media pressed May and Macron on human rights, but the two leaders sidestepped the topic on their China trip,” it said.

“This shows that the Sino-European relationship has, to a large degree, extricated itself from the impact of radical public opinion.”

Instead, Mrs May was desperate to highlight a “golden era” of relations between China and Britain.

Sipping tea with President Xi, she hailed trade deals forged between the countries – and went out of her way to encourage Chinese tourists to visit the UK.

The PM may have learned lessons from David Cameron , who was cold-shouldered by Beijing for more than a year after meeting exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Daila Lama in London in 2012.

The controversial introduction plunged relation into the deep freeze, with China's foreign ministry saying the meeting "seriously interfered with China's internal affairs" and "hurt" Chinese feelings.

Mr Cameron later launched a a charm offensive, greasing up to the Chinese in a bid to encourage billions of pounds of investment.

No 10 insisted Mrs May had tackled Mr Li and Mr Xi over human rights.

Meanwhile, the PM trumpeted women entrepreneurs in a speech to business leaders in Shanghai.

Calling for a “higher profile for female innovators”, she said: “The UK and China together have the capacity to play a huge role in advocating for gender equality.

“But all too often those good intentions don’t lead to positive outcomes, and that’s something we should all be working to tackle.”</s>The Prime Minister will be under pressure from parliament to speak out about alleged human rights abuses in former British colony Hong Kong; now under Chinese rule. Sputnik spoke with Yongjin Zhang; Professor of International Politics at the University of Bristol to gain an insight into contemporary British-Chinese relations.

Sputnik: Will China be open to forging new trade links with the UK following Brexit and what will Britain have to give China in return for a deal?

Yongjin Zhang: China needs Britain as much as Britain needs China. Obviously the Chinese have promised to open their market, probably mostly in agriculture to the benefit of the UK economy.Hopefully; and this is probably a very difficult decision for the European government, is the export of technology. There are still sanctions on China imposed by the EU, particularly in dual use technology; which could be used in the military, so that’s probably what the Chinese will want the UK to do in exchange for an open market.

Sputnik: Does China currently have good relations with the EU as a whole?

Yongjin Zhang: The relationship really between the China and the EU in the first instance is at the trade level and has been flourishing.

There is also a sub-regional relationship and China has developed relationships with central and eastern European countries, some of them are EU countries, some are not, so this is one level of the relationship. Then we come to bilateral relationships; China and Germany for example have very flourishing trade relationships and last year China overtook the United States to become Germany’s largest trading partner. More recently; French president Macron visited China and signed trade deals, so there are several layers of the China-EU relationship and they are overall, really positive.

Sputnik: Will Theresa May discuss the Hong Kong political situation during her visit?

Yongjin Zhang: I think she will probably discuss the issue with President Xi today behind closed doors. Partly; Theresa May has to please her domestic audience and I think the Chinese understand that, as long as it’s not a public condemnation. The Chinese side would like to have this quiet diplomacy to see whether they can agree to disagree or try to reach some kind of understanding and agreement.

I think what is very important for the UK, is the image of Britain still being a global power. Theresa May will talk to Xi about further developing the strategic partnership between the two countries concerning global issues such as security and economic development. The UK and China both have a role to play.
Amid a perceived erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong, British Prime Minister Theresa May concludes a three-day visit to China, said to have generated £9 billion in trade deals.