The public want Britain to take a harder line on China

As G7 leaders meet, with Beijing set to be a big topic, polling shows where the electorate stands

- Chris Blackhurst

At the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, a key theme is China. There’s the symbolism of meeting in a city devastated by nuclear aggression, across a sea from a country that constantly displays its military prowess. There’s the proximity, too, to Taiwan, the fate of which is a running sore for China – one that shows no sign of abating.

The location provides added piquancy, but that is all. The truth is, it would not matter where the leaders assembled – China and how to deal with Beijing would be high on their agenda.

The fact, as well, is that they don’t know what to do. On the one hand, they fear China’s ambition and not only towards Taiwan. Wherever you go in the world where there are natural resources and commodities to be secured, you will likely come across the hand of Beijing. It’s got its sights on everything it might one day need, from vital minerals to essential foodstuffs. Items that it could, one day, deny to the rest.

China is everywhere; in real estate, finance, data, software, tech. Combine that with a regime that rules through repression – that exhibits a singular approach to human rights – and the recipe is set for conflict.

Dealing with this ever-present tension, how to avoid it escalating and what to do if it does is what occupies politicians and their officials in the world’s capitals and wherever leaders gather. China, many leaders feel, is not to be trusted. But how to resist its overtures, especially if they come laden with money, is not easy.