David Cameron's Visit to China

Looking through today's BBC news, there is one particular  'NewsLog' caught my attention. It is no doubt the United Kingdom's PM David Cameron's visit to China.

'David Cameron has brought the largest-ever British delegation to China to secure business deals - to open British supermarkets and English-language schools and even to export British boars to sire Chinese pigs.' (Nick Robinson's NewsLog)

Over the decades, China's achievement in terms of economic is remarkable. China is now one step shy of America as the world second-largest economy and hence its definite power and influences in the world political issue.

In today's Wall Street Journal, David Cameron expressed that '...a strong relationship with china is plainly in Britain's national interest.' He also said that Britain has much to offer China and so as China. For example,  brilliant education by Universities of UK- which include six of the best in Europe and 2 of the top 3 globally. Other than that, as China rebalances its economy, the growing middle class demands more and more high quality goods, brands and services which could be provided by UK companies and at the same time help Britain to secure strong and sustainable growth in its economy.

The cooperation between these 2 countries developed from Economy to Internatonal Security:

We want to work with China to help in global efforts to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon, and to put pressure on corrupt and intolerant regime's in Africa. We hope we can work closely together to prevent conflagration in North Korea and to improve the situation for the Burmese people.' says David Cameron

Personally, I'm not a student that pay much attention towards politic (this i blame my gender). However, being a Malaysian-Chinese, i do have some opinions towards this issue. After my several visits to China in these few years, there is this fact which i find so significant and has never subsides over the decades - education in China. Despite the immense economic growth in China and its gorgeously advanced city such as Shanghai and Beijing, many of the councils/county remained undeveloped and urban. These places might not even have electricity supplies and some of them are uncivilised to the extent that they have slaves, selling their children for living and not to forget, their reluctance towards human rights. I believe this all happens because there isn't appropriate education provided to them. Therefore, the cooperation of these 2 countries would definitely help in ceasing these problems as UK could provide better education to China.

Other than that, there is one worth noticing obstacle between the cooperation of these 2 countries pointed out by Nick (write of this NewsLog) - the diverse view in human rights.

'recently Britain did publicly criticise the death sentence handed down to a drug smuggler who was almost certainly mentally ill, the Chinese authorities reacted by cancelling the so-called "human rights dialogue" - the channel designed to ensure that trade and human rights could be discussed concurrently but separately.'  

In the end of Nick Robinson's NewsLog, he commented that-

 'It may not be a surprise but it is a reminder of how limited is the power of our government to even express deep concern let alone do anything about China's continued policy of repression and opposition to democracy.'

which i do not agree as I believe, it is of the country's own policy in how they going to rule their country as they have different cultures and policies from the beginning but not influence by the 'power' of any other countries. 

In the end of this research, I am very much impressed by what David Cameron had said in the end of the Wall Street Journal and I'll wrap up this post with his quote. 

'Our relationship should be strong enough to address not only those issues on which we agree, but those on which we take a different view. We should do so with respect and mutual understanding, acknowledging our different histories.'-- David Cameron

by SIAW CHIN TEE