the position it has held for 18 of the last 20 centuries.
and an achievement of which the chinese people are justly proud.
put simply: china has re-emerged as a great global power.
threat or opportunity
now people can react to this in one of two ways.
they can see china’s rise as a threat
or they can see it as an opportunity.
they can protect their markets from china
or open their markets to china.
they can try and shut china out
or welcome china in, to a new place at the top table of global affairs.
there has been a change of government in britain and a change of prime minister.
but on this vital point there is absolute continuity between my government and the governments of tony blair and gordon brown.
we want a strong relationship with china. strong on trade. strong on investment. strong on dialogue.
i made that clear as leader of the opposition when i visited beijing and chongqing three years ago.
and i repeat it as prime minister here in china’s capital today.
in the argument about how to react to the rise of china.
i say it’s an opportunity.
i choose engagement not disengagement.
dialogue not stand-off.
mutual benefit, not zero-sum game.
partnership not protectionism.
britain is the country that argues most passionately for globalisation and free trade.
free trade is in our dna.
and we want trade with china. as much of it as we can get.
that’s why i have with me on this visit one of the biggest and most high-powered delegations a british prime minister has ever led to china.
just think about some of the prizes that the rise of china could help to bring within our grasp.
strong, and sustainable growth for the global economy.
vital progress on the doha trade round which could add $170