China and the UK have clashed in recent months over a draconian new security law in Hong Kong and the Chinese tech company Huawei. The Guardian’s Tania Branigan examines whether a much-promoted ‘golden era’ between the two countries is at an end.
In 2015 George Osborne, the then chancellor, promised a ‘golden decade’ for Chinese-British relations as he drummed up support for new trade opportunities and inward investment. That has all changed after China imposed a harsh new security law in Hong Kong and now the UK government is preparing to backtrack on an agreement to use the Chinese firm Huawei in its 5G infrastructure.
The Guardian’s leader writer Tania Branigan tells Rachel Humphreys that this new phase in relations is going to be difficult for the UK. Last week, Beijing’s ambassador to London, Liu Xiaoming, warned: “China wants to be UK’s friend and partner. But if you treat China as a hostile country, you would have to bear the consequences.”
It comes as pressure mounts on China internationally to be open about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic first seen in Wuhan at the end of last year, and increasing outrage at the treatment of Uighur Muslims. But there is an acceptance too in government that even if the ‘golden era’ is over, China remains a vital trade relationship as well as a crucial player in global affairs, not least the battle to reduce carbon emissions.
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