{"id":12159,"date":"2023-04-26T07:30:22","date_gmt":"2023-04-26T07:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=12159"},"modified":"2025-04-23T09:32:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T09:32:38","slug":"a-former-british-diplomats-recipe-for-success-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/a-former-british-diplomats-recipe-for-success-in-china\/","title":{"rendered":"A former British diplomat’s recipe for success in China"},"content":{"rendered":"

Former diplomat Lord McDonald, who played a key role in the \u201cGolden Age\u201d of UK-China relations, talks to Andy Mok about the ways in which both British businesses and the UK government should be approaching China in 2023.<\/h2>\n

In the summer of 2022, Lord McDonald of Salford\u2019s intervention in the Chris Pincher affair \u2013 accusing then Prime Minister Boris Johnson of being less than honest about his knowledge of Deputy Chief Whip\u2019s sexual misconduct \u2013 sent shockwaves through the political establishment. But it also demonstrated his skill in delivering blunt yet necessary messages for maximum impact in the service of the public good.<\/p>\n

So it should come as no surprise that McDonald\u2019s first book, Leadership: Lessons from A Life in Diplomacy<\/em>, should be described by English historian Peter Hennessy as \u201ca book full of riches \u2013 a despatch from deep inside the British state about how it really operates and how it could be run better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn places\u201d, he adds, \u201cSimon McDonald wields his fluent pen like a blowtorch. His candour burns the page. Some of the most eminent in the land will rush to the index. Some will be right to tremble if they find their name.\u201d<\/p>\n

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I recently sat down with Lord Simon McDonald in Cambridge, where he is currently Master of Christ\u2019s College and working on a second book about foreign policy recommendations for the British government. During his stint as Permanent Undersecretary, McDonald played a key role in ushering in the \u201cGolden Age\u201d of relations with China in the Cameron era, only for Theresa May to hit the brakes. According to McDonald, this necessitated \u201ca lot of explaining\u201d, which, in diplomatic terms, was akin to smoothing out a crumpled map.<\/p>\n

Drawing on experience ranging from serving under four permanent under-secretaries and a dozen senior ambassadors before becoming permanent under-secretary himself, McDonald believes the UK should pursue a more independent policy towards China, one that Brussels or Washington do not dictate. Such a policy would better serve the UK\u2019s interests, allowing it to navigate its unique position within an increasingly complex web of international relations. The potential benefits of this approach include fostering stronger trade and investment ties, as well as deepening cooperation in areas such as science and technology. Historically, the UK\u2019s China policy has been influenced by its alliances with the European Union and the United States, potentially constraining its ability to respond to China\u2019s rise in a manner tailored to its own national priorities. If the UK does not pursue a more independent policy, he believes, it risks missing opportunities for growth and collaboration with the world\u2019s second-largest economy, and could continue to be swayed by the interests of external powers in its relationship with China.<\/p>\n