Bright Blue TV: China: friend or foe?

On 19 May 2021, co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch Benedict Rogers discussed China with Cindy Yu and Richard Graham MP.

China: friend or foe?

The rise of China as a global economic and military superpower is one of the great geopolitical developments of our time. Tensions between China and the West have been rising in recent years, not least over the Chinese Government’s treatment of the Uighur minority and the erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong.

Under the Communist Party, China has put forward a rival political and economic model to upend the liberal democratic settlement which has existed since the end of the Cold War. This has led the recent Integrated Review to label China as a ‘systemic challenge’ to the United Kingdom and its allies. While some of the activities of China’s authoritarian regime have attracted condemnation in the West, it remains an indispensable partner for tackling global problems like the climate crisis.

The UK is, therefore, forced to grapple with the dilemma: to what extent is China a partner, competitor or threat?

The episode of Bright Blue TV was hosted by Deputy Director of Bright Blue, Nikita Malik. She was joined by co-founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch, Benedict Rogers, the Broadcast Editor and China reporter for The Spectator, Cindy Yu, and the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary China Group, Richard Graham MP.