The UK is in a unique situation for the reasons I briefly mentioned, because whether we like it or not, Huawei are already involved in our critical national infrastructure. If we didn't have Huawei at the moment, the likelihood is that the British government's view would be not that different to other Western countries. And you remember, there are very few other companies in the Western world that can provide some of the technology that how are we? So that is also a constraint when you decide, do you have to take some level of risk or can you eliminate all risk entirely?
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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