What does China actually want from Britain?

How the west responds to China is now the defining foreign policy issue of our time. The communist party’s suppression of information about the coronavirus, the global lockdown and thousands of deaths have forced the world to confront the potential consequences of the regime governing China. Even Tory MPs – many of whom were previously relaxed about Chinese investment – are arguing for a reset. But if the UK, which currently lacks a coherent strategy for Sino-British relations wants to avoid kowtowing to Beijing, an important question needs answering: what does China actually want from us?

This question baffles many. Yet the Chinese communist party, the all-powerful entity whose politburo sits at the apex of a single-party system, has two clear aims. Number one is to stay in power; understanding how the CCP perceives international issues are received at home is key to determining Chinese foreign policy. 

The second is to fulfil its historic mission of restoring China’s ‘rightful’ pre-eminence; what the present leadership calls ‘the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation’.