Huawei issue focuses spotlight on Sino-UK ties

Foundations laid

Even before Johnson took office, there were signs that the UK wanted to build a new firmer relationship with China.

In May last year, Mark Sedwill, the UK's outgoing cabinet secretary and head of the country's Civil Service, took a delegation to China that comprised 12 permanent secretaries from government departments.

Michie, from the Center for China and Globalization, said a visit at this level was unprecedented.

"It laid the foundations for an exceptional understanding between the UK and China. It showed the UK reaching out to China to match the Chinese cultural approach, where long-term stable relationships are paramount.

"Ministerial visits to China often deliver no more than handshakes and staged photos, but this demonstrated a commitment to continuity."

Jacques, author of When China Rules The World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order, said a benign view of colonialism is often a barrier to relations between the UK and China and also other Asian countries.

He said such a view is based on the belief that Western political systems are still universal.

"It is a self-congratulatory view of the West's contribution to the world. People who espouse this view never talk about the malign effect of colonialism and what we did to the world. They are being rather wrong-footed by the Black Lives Matter campaign at the moment and the whole issue of slavery," he said.

However, Yang, from Hamptons, believes that the optimism about UK-China relations that arose during Xi's state visit is still very much alive.

"There might be a vocal minority of political leaders in the UK currently hogging the headlines, but I believe that the goodwill between China and the UK that created the foundation of the 'golden era' remains in place," he said.

"There is a huge opportunity for the UK to create mutual opportunity and prosperity with China in business, particularly through services. This is why it is vital there should be an informed and intelligent strategic analysis undertaken by the UK to decide how its relations with China should progress."