I think you've got to get this in proportion. What we're discussing at this part of this evening is not the general question of trade between China and other countries. We're talking about a very specific area of Chinese companies that are tendering for contracts in what is called the critical national infrastructure. It depends, secondly, whether these companies could be instructed by their government to involve themselves in political interference. In Britain, there is no such law, I have to say, that would allow any British government to instruct a British company, operating in China, to interfere with systems. Under Chinese law, it seems to be something which is permitted. So on the vital public services, 5G networks
Is China, with its unfair trade policies and shameless theft of intellectual property, an enemy that needs to be reined in? Or is it in the West’s best interests to view China as a strategic partner and aim for mutual respect and cooperation?
We were joined by Beijing-born Professor of Economics at the LSE Keyu Jin; politician and former cabinet minister Sir Malcolm Rifkind; and Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator at the FT. The event was chaired by Carrie Gracie, BBC News Presenter and the BBC’s first China Editor.
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