Description
This paper employs investigative research methods to re-examine the key episodes of Sino-British engagement in the 2010s. This reassessment offers a critical investigation of the so-called “golden age” including PRC involvement in the UK civil nuclear sector; RMB internationalisation in London; and the GlaxoSmithKline scandal in China. This shadow IR approach uncovers extensive new evidence that suggests a division within the British establishment between financial and security experts over PRC engagement. The paper reasons that commercial entities have taken an increasingly prominent role in UK foreign policy generation via elite linkages and the “revolving door” phenomenon. This development has reshaped British priorities in the global arena in general, as well as UK-China engagement in particular. What is revealed is a complex Sino-British engagement landscape where commercial entities are able to assume prominent gatekeeper roles. This finding calls into question not only our understanding of the UK’s China policy, but also Cartesian assumptions of international relations such as unit division by territory, sovereignty and identity.
