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However, should Corbyn give off a frosty demeanor at the lavish do, he will find an unlikely supporter in David Cameron’s former head of strategy Steve Hilton. In what will come as a blow to Cameron and Osborne, their friend Hilton has warned his followers to get ready ‘for a cringe-worthy week of sucking up to despots’.
Writing an editorial for the Observer, Hilton says Britain should stand up to the Chinese government which ‘goes around forcibly inserting intrauterine devices into the bodies of its female citizens, or forcing them to have abortions’. Hilton adds that the government should impose sanctions on the country rather than ‘feeding it with fat contracts that filch the earnings of British taxpayers to fund the lavish lifestyles of sleazy Chinese elites’:
‘Surely we should be fighting corruption in the world, not feeding it with fat contracts that filch the earnings of British taxpayers to fund the lavish lifestyles of sleazy Chinese elites. With other rogue states, such as Iran and Russia, we apply economic sanctions to incentivise better behaviour and enforce international order and civilised norms.
It’s high time we did the same to China: instead of trade deals, tough sanctions; instead of sucking up to the despots of Beijing, we should stand up to them. For moral reasons and on the grounds of national and international security. But, perhaps surprisingly, it’s in our economic interests, too.’
By way of disclaimer, Hilton says that despite attacking the idea of trade deals with China, he is not attacking George Osborne ‘who has made engagement with China a centrepiece of his economic strategy’:
‘One last thing. Some will try to interpret this article as an attack on George Osborne, who has made engagement with China a centrepiece of his economic strategy. They would be dead wrong: George is a good friend and friends are allowed to disagree. I support him with all my heart, although on China we differ. Big deal; I think he can cope.’
However, Hilton fails to add the same disclaimer for Cameron, who has heralded a ‘golden era’ of partnership between Britain and China. While Hilton flew from his home in America to Britain earlier this year to help Cameron write his conference speech, Mr S suspects his services will not be required this week.
Because you read about china
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