Cameron’s China affair ‘pathetic’, says Patten

DAVID Cameron’s policy of cosying up to China when he was prime minister was ‘absolutely pathetic’, a former cabinet minister and governor of Hong Kong has said.

lord Patten of Barnes, who was governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997, criticised the socalled ‘golden era’ of UK-China relations under lord Cameron, who is now Foreign Secretary.

In this period there was a state visit by Chinese premier Xi Jinping, during which he met the late Queen and enjoyed fish and chips in a village pub.

Speaking to BBC radio 4’s Shadow War: China and the West programme, which starts today, lord Patten said: ‘David Cameron introducing Xi Jinping to his pub near Chequers with a warm pint of beer – for what?

‘At the same time as they were having a beer together, arrangements were being made with the police to make it difficult for

‘Demeaning and ludicrous’

people to protest in the streets of london, in order it might embarrass the Chinese leader... I mean, it was awful stuff.

‘At the same time as the golden period, China was starting to turn the screw in Hong Kong. And of course, I’m in favour of us trying to do business with China... I recognise that we need to have a relationship with China. We have to talk to them about big geopolitical issues.

‘We want to do business with them. But the idea that you can only do this on your knees I find demeaning and ludicrous.’

In the ten-part series, George Osborne, who was lord Cameron’s Chancellor, defended the policy of closer UK-China relations. He said accusations that the policy was naive or greedy was ‘very shallow thinking’, adding: ‘I don’t really accept at all this paradigm that you choose between economic partnership with China or sort of a security confrontation with China.’