Diplomatic ties a boost for economy

It's a case of reading between the lines when Stephen Phillips, Chief Executive of the China-Britain Business Council, explains why the diplomatic difficulties between China and the UK have been noticeably absent from the boardrooms of businesses in both nations. Money talks, even when political leaders don't, and wise heads in both Governments have been happy to let the conversation of currency keep flowing.

Speaking in the lead up to November's EU-China Summit in Beijing, where movers and shakers are expected to try and put in place a road-map for bilateral cooperation going forward into the second decade of EU-China relations, Phillips believes the renaissance of diplomatic ties between the UK and the world's second largest economy will prove to be a lucrative development.

At a time when China and the greater EU are still smarting over the recent ructions caused by anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations, against the backdrop of the new Australian Government's decision to reject any investment from Sino tech giant Huawei in their national broadband network, the UK has in stark contrast publicly welcomed Chinese investment.

Phillips, whose professional relationship with China has spanned the past 20-odd years, reveals to Big Talk why he thinks it’s an investment that will pay dividends to both nations.