and china’s continuing role here is vital if we are to prevent iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
in your own region, i believe china can work with us to improve the situation for the burmese people.
and china is one of the few countries that burma will listen to on this point.
but political responsibilities are not just about how one country interacts with another
those responsibilities also apply to the way a country empowers its own people.
political perspectives
it is undeniable that greater economic freedom has contributed to china’s growing economic strength.
as china’s economy generates higher living standards and more choice for chinese people, there is inevitably debate within china about the relationship between greater economic freedom and greater political freedom.
i recognise that we approach these issues with different perspectives. i understand too that being in government is a huge challenge.
i’m finding that running a country of 60 million people.
so i can only begin to imagine what it is like leading a country of 1.3 billion.
i realise this presents challenges of a different order of magnitude.
when i came here last i was britain’s leader of the opposition.
now we’ve had a general election.
it produced a coalition government, which combines two different political parties – the conservatives and the liberal democrats – with different histories and political philosophies, working together for the good of our country.
the labour party is now the official opposition, with a constitutional duty to hold the new government publicly to account.
indeed if i were not in beijing this wednesday afternoon, i would be preparing for my weekly session of prime minister’s questions in the house of commons, where mps questio