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May starts China visit with warning over steel, intellectual rights

By William James

 

FILE PHOTO: Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hand with British Prime Minister Theresa May before their meeting at the West Lake State House on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, September 5, 2016. REUTERS/Etienne Oliveau/Pool/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May was starting a crucial trade visit to China on Wednesday as she admitted the two countries will not always see eye-to-eye in sensitive areas like steel over-capacity and intellectual property rights.

 

May will use meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang to try to regain momentum in the international race to secure British participation in China's services sector boom as she seeks a new role for Britain outside the European Union.

 

Travelling with her husband Philip and a delegation of 50 business leaders, May has to reheat diplomatic ties that have suffered from a perceived coldness since she took power shortly after Britain's Brexit vote in July 2016. (nL8N1PO4HV)

 

Speaking ahead of her trip, she admitted the two countries have had their differences, notably over Chinese steel over-production which has been widely blamed for harming the British steel industry.

 

"The UK and China will not always see eye-to-eye," she said. "We will continue to look at what more can be done to tackle global overcapacity in sectors such as steel, and to ensure that, as our companies innovate and develop new products, they are confident that their intellectual property and rights will be fully protected."

 

May has echoed calls by U.S. President Donald Trump for China to press neighbouring North Korea into reining in its nuclear and missile development. (nS8N1GZ053)

 

Britain has also previously expressed concern about human rights abuses and the health of democratic development in former British colony Hong Kong.

 

Britain's last governor in Hong Kong before it was handed back to the Chinese, Chris Patten, wrote to May on Monday urging her to raise concerns over the "increasing threats to the basic freedoms, human rights and autonomy" in the territory.

 

In the past, sensitive diplomatic issues have spilled over into trade talks, with May's predecessor David Cameron prompting a freeze in relations in 2012 by meeting the Dalai Lama in London.

 

With Brexit about to plunge Britain into its most significant economic upheaval since World War Two, relations with China are set to become increasingly important as May's government looks to develop markets outside the EU.

 

But Chinese officials have expressed unease about what Brexit could mean for Chinese firms who have invested in Britain.

 

One deal due to be announced during the visit is a 550 million-pound accord on exchange deals, partnerships and commercial contracts in the education sector.

 

May is also under pressure to deliver a positive story in China from those closer to home. Her position as leader has been weakened by ministers openly lobbying for different types of exit and hardline eurosceptics unhappy at her Brexit strategy.

 

Trade secretary Liam Fox will head a diverse delegation ranging from executives of large multinationals like HSBC HSBA.L and AstraZeneca AZN.L to smaller firms like Northern Irish seafood wholesaler Rooney Fish.

 

(Reporting by William James; Additional reporting by Venus Wu in Hong Kong and Stephen Addison; Editing by Andrew McAskill)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-01-31

[dunroaming]

I suspect that Mrs May is glad to get out of the country for a while.  China is massively important for trade with or without Brexit.

[tonbridgebrit]

Why is it that Britain has raised the issues of Tibet and Hong Kong during previous decades ?  Surely, it was done to offend and antagonise Beijing. After all, do people really care about human rights abuse in Tibet or Hong Kong ?

Brexit has now happened, and Britain needs all the friends it has got. Better to not offend and antagonise Beijing over anything.

[Air Smiles]

56 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Why is it that Britain has raised the issues of Tibet and Hong Kong during previous decades ?  Surely, it was done to offend and antagonise Beijing. After all, do people really care about human rights abuse in Tibet or Hong Kong ?

Brexit has now happened, and Britain needs all the friends it has got. Better to not offend and antagonise Beijing over anything.

 

Who would have thought it possible that Great Britain would have to go cap in hand to China.

 

All because of Brexit.

[heybuz]

4 hours ago, Air Smiles said:

After all, do people really care about human rights abuse in Tibet or Hong Kong ?

believe it or not a good proportion of hongkongese still consider themselves british

[tonbridgebrit]

5 hours ago, Air Smiles said:

 

Who would have thought it possible that Great Britain would have to go cap in hand to China.

 

All because of Brexit.

Well, no need to go cap in hand to China. It's just that previously, the British government was able to antagonise Beijing and Beijing couldn't do much about it. Britain can't afford to antagonise Beijing right now, so it's best to not mention the Dalai Lama.

[tonbridgebrit]

1 hour ago, heybuz said:

believe it or not a good proportion of hongkongese still consider themselves british

Them people in Hong Kong look the same as them people in China. Surely, that's because they're both Chinese ?  And them people in Taiwan look the same as people in China and Hong Kong.

A good proportion of them people in Hong Kong consider themselves British ?  I don't think they do. But even if some of them reckon that they are British, well, they're not though, are they ? Do people in Britain reckon that them people in Hong Kong are British ?  Surely not ?

But anyway, my point is, is that the British government has sometimes raised the issue of preserving Hong Kong's freedom and rights. The British government has done this, it's more to do with antagonising Beijing rather than whatever genuine concern about freedom of speech and freedom of religion in Hong Kong. Are your views on the British government similar to mine ?

[ballpoint]

Maybe she can sell or lease the UK to the Chinese, so they can use it as their modern day version of old Hong Kong.  Providing them a small island trading post to do business with Europe.

[zydeco]

Sooner or later, America and Europe will need to suck it up and admit to themselves that China is a bellicose dictatorship which envisions nothing less than ruling over the entire planet. Stop them now with trade and travel sanctions or go to war later.