there is no secret that we disagree on some issues, especially around human rights.
we don’t raise these issues to make to us look good, or to flaunt publicly that we have done so.
we raise them because the british people expect us to, and because we have sincere and deeply held concerns.
and i am pleased that we have agreed the next human rights dialogue between our two governments for january.
because in the end, being able to talk through these issues – however difficult – makes our relationship stronger.
conclusion
so let me finish where i began.
china’s success – and continued success – is good for britain and good for the world.
it’s not in our national interests for china to stumble
or for the chinese economy to suffer a reverse.
we have to make the case.
and i hope china will help us make the case.
that as china gets richer, it does not follow that the rest of the world will get poorer.
it is simply not true that as china rises again in the world, others must necessarily decline.
globalisation is not a zero sum game.
if we manage things properly, if we win the arguments for free trade, if we find a way to better regulation, we can both grow together.
but if we don’t, we will both suffer.
i referred earlier to britain’s pavilion at the shanghai expo, “the dandelion”
we are extremely proud that it won a coveted prize, and that it proved so popular with chinese visitors.
it is, in its way, a symbol of the strength and the potential in our relationship.
two different countries, past and future olympic hosts, on far sides of the world, sowing the seeds of a flourishing relationship in the future, a relationship which has the potential to grow and to bl