Britain's future economic challenge

Ed P

Despite their obvious limitations (is, the Lib-Dems), we at last have a government that values serous education, science & engineering.

IP is best kept away from China - it has a tendency to leak out and products are copied rapidly. So, yes, we should concentrate on improving the UK's IP, but not in partnership with Wen.

Tiberius

You're right to highlight maths and science, James, but Britain also falls behind in managerial skills, which can be bolstered by proper study of English, history and foreign languages.

Jez

"But his honeyed words can’t obscure the true nature of the Chinese regime."

Could that be a regime that is very focused on China, the racial make up of that place, a deep sense of history- WW2, even back to the east India Company and the greatest trait of the Chinese; 'Face'.

As an opinion, for such a strong group of people, the CPR representatives when seeing people like Cameron etc, actually see in our present western leaders the same thing the slave traders saw in African tribal heads as they swapped the next consignment of their own countrymen for a mirror or a chair.

China is positioning itself for domination.... and good luck to them.

America has a $14+Trillion deficit. It is embroiled in foreign wars, the Greeks look as though they may be bailed out by the only economies that have reserves; the one of the two is China.

China is Macro in its approach and is looking for it position in a new world for (it could be said) the betterment of the Chinese.

Cameron & the Tories are looking out for their City buddies.

Great.

Charles Martel

You are more likely to get them to respect human rights than you are to respect intellectual property.

andrew kitching

Indeed James. That's why it is so important to give teachers a good salary and pension (and Doctors and Nurses too). Many of the public sector pension schemes balance. The ones that don't- Local Government, Fire, Police etc. need sorting out., but the government needs to show that it values the professions.

TrevorsDen

Explain those that balance Andrew, and how.

Rhoda Klapp

Graduates with firsts to become teachers? Are they not over-qualified? Or are there actually no jobs for them in this country in their chosen field. If the latter, we don't need the teachers.

Justathought

Niall Ferguson in his series 'civilisation' spoke of six 'killer apps' that the west has; 1. Competition 2. Science 3. Property rights 4. Medicine 5. Consumer society 6. Work ethic (and I would add as number seven;Democracy).

By my reckoning China has 1 , 2 & 6.

Take property rights as an example. China still have no comprehensive system of registration that is fair and transparent.

Verity

Andrew Kitching ... what's that got to do with the price of tea in China?

potager

You obviously feel you can speak as an expert on China,James.I fear your opinions reflect a Western stereotypical view of the country.You give no credit to the Chinese leadership for the huge strides made in terms of economic prosperity, health and education of the population.There is a focus in China on reaching the standard, in terms of infrastructure and lifestyle, of the most advanced countries of the West.
Please note also that the Chinese people, with very few exceptions, are fiercely loyal to their country and proud of its achievements.
On the specific issue of human rights, it is not at all clear that we in the West have achieved the right balance between the rights of the individual and the needs of the majority.
Your view of China is simplistic and rather patronising.

Verity

Has anyone else noticed what an unfortunate photo this is? They look as they they are shackled to the podia by wide wooden arm restraints. Maybe it's to prevent them signing anything in the absence of voter approval.

DZ

It strikes me as peculiar that the moneylenders have become the heroes. Moneylenders only help themselves.

oldtimer

You write:
"But Wen Jibao’s presence here was also a reminder that the economic competition Britain is going to face in the future is going to come increasingly from the east."

You are behind the times - and by about thirty years. The east, first Japan and the several countries of south east Asia and now China and India, has long been the source of competition for the UK and Europe. Have you never wondered why so many UK industries of yore have disappeared from our shores?

Jeremy

A result. And a very assured performance by Cameron.

JohnBUK

Andrew Kitching. I agree in terms of rewarding GOOG teachers and nurses etc better than the others. But of course the current union rules do not agree to that do they?

michael

Intellectual property ...the Chinese middle class have had their boots filled with cheap cheap copy copy, they want to enjoy the pukka gear. This (from here) being any product that can be successfully branded as quintessentially- english/irish/scottish/welsh, with the subsequent high perceptions of added value.

Biffo

Yes, just think of all those things we could invent that the Chinese could copy.

Jez

Well said Biffo! :-))