Britain and China sign trade deals

The premiers of Britain and China yesterday oversaw trade deals worth more than a billion dollars but human rights cast a shadow over Prime Minister David Cameron’s bid to strengthen economic ties.

Mr Cameron – travelling with Britain’s largest-ever delegation of bosses and ministers to China – wanted to focus on doubling trade with the world’s second largest economy and taking their trade relations “to a new level”.

By far the biggest deal announced yesterday was worth $1.2 billion between Rolls-Royce and China Eastern Airlines Corp under which the British group will provide jet engines to power 16 Airbus A330 aircraft.

Facing pressure to challenge Chinese leaders on rights, Mr Cameron said he was not for “lecturing and hectoring” Beijing. But it is expected that Mr Cameron will raise the case of jailed Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo before he leaves China today.

Prime Minister Cameron and President Wen had a “general discussion” on human rights in a meeting yesterday, British officials said, highlighting that Mr Wen had welcomed the two countries’ discussions on the subject.

China defended its human rights record, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei telling reporters at a regular briefing that the country’s citizens today “are enjoying more extensive rights and freedoms”. “This is a fact that is there for everyone to see,” he said.

Mr Cameron is the first Western leader to visit China since dissident Mr Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 8 – an honour hailed in the West but condemned by Beijing as tantamount to “encouraging crime”.

On the eve of Mr Cameron’s visit, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, an outspoken government critic who was placed under house arrest last week, added that Western leaders on trade trips to China “must insist on human rights issues”. Mr Cameron is travelling with 43 bosses from major British companies and four government ministers on his first official visit after taking power in May.

In a bid to highlight the opportunities in China, Mr Cameron’s first visit of the two-day trip was to a supermarket run by Tesco, the world’s third largest retailer, in south Beijing. The British premier will meet Mr Hu and attend a business summit today before heading to South Korea.