Finding ‘normal’: China, Britain, and the search for dialogue

Sam Godsland, Senior Programme Director at Wilton Park, explores how Britain can grow a new tradition of ‘normal’ dialogue with China in a rapidly changing world The visit of David Cameron and Xi Jinping to the Plough Inn at Cadsden, Buckinghamshire in 2015 has come to be seen as the defining moment of the ‘Golden Era’ of UK-China relations. The scene suggests a sense of normality; two men arrive in a pub,…