On Reflection | China knows what Britain doesn’t: Theresa May is no spent force
Forget what you read in the British media. The rest of the world cares little about Brexit. And when it comes to China, the prime minister clearly has a long-term plan
Theresa May has large, tired eyes, is covered in TV make-up, and is dressed in a spotless, perfectly pressed navy suit. She is in no mood for a chat.
If you believe some sections of the media, the UK is a small, obsolete and directionless nation that has self-harmed its way onto the fringes of Europe. It has a prime minister who cannot lead her own country, let alone get herself heard in the world. China would rather listen to the German-led European Union or defend itself against the United States and Japan than worry about this post-colonial relic.
This view makes perfect sense, unless you take into account the personality of the PM herself. She has made it a personal mission to secure a strong relationship with China. She does not use that meaningless “golden age” phrase beloved of her predecessor David Cameron, preferring carefully planned steps to marketing-speak.
We are in a breakout room discussing global trade and security relations with countries outside the EU. Britain will be leaving the EU and joining the wider global community: it will make its own foreign policy, its own trade relations, and its own immigration policy. Many statesmen have led Britain through far more dangerous periods – wars, economic depressions, even famine – but May’s task is as politically complex as any British leader of modern times, because the British are more politically engaged than they have been for decades, and because modern politics requires a response to every new development within hours or even minutes.
Brexit Britain is missing an Asia policy
It is no surprise that the Labour Party opposes her policies – that’s its job. The greater difficulty lies in sometimes ill-informed popular opposition and well-informed elite opposition to almost every political decision she makes. In very broad terms, the reasonably well-educated, reasonably well-remunerated section of British society opposes the idea of the UK leaving the EU, while the less well-educated, less wealthy section is in favour. But at the top of British society – the very wealthy, the very well-educated, and the very powerful – there is a clear split. Roughly half are opposed to Brexit, and roughly half support it.
