Name: UK-China relations: Balancing national interest and human rights by Chatham House in Want To Listen
Duration: 2 min 7 s
Description: Robin Niblett discusses the difficulty of balancing national interest with human rights concerns, arguing that a Chinese state visit to the UK is arguably not the time for the UK to raise its objections, but that the Chancellor's trip to Xinjiang could have sent a stronger message about British human rights values.

Want To Listen

Bronwen Maddox is joined by Shashank Joshi, defence editor of The Economist and historian and commentator Helene von Bismarck to discuss what the next government must prioritize in the UK's foreign policy. With them is Olivia O’Sullivan, Director of our UK in the World programme.

What choices will the next UK Foreign Secretary face?

Rishi Sunak called a 4 July election saying the world is more dangerous than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Bronwen Maddox discusses those threats with Chatham House experts Olivia O’Sullivan, director of our UK in the World; David Lubin, our Michael Klein Senior Research Fellow in our Global Economy and Finance Programme; and Tim Eaton, senior research fellow in our Middle East and North Africa Programme.

How will foreign affairs shape the UK election?

In this episode, Wenjie Chen, Deputy Division Chief of the Regional Studies Division at the International Monetary Fund’s African Department, discusses the IMF Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa titled "A Tepid and Pricey Recovery," released in April 2024.

Can Africa’s economic recovery withstand inevitable shocks?

Bronwen Maddox is joined by Philippe Sands, a barrister specialising in international law and a Professor of the Public Understanding of Law at University College London. Joining them both are Lawrence Hill-Cawthorne, an Associate Professor in Law at the University of Bristol and Nomi Bar-Yacoov, an Associate Fellow of the International Security Programme at Chatham House and an international negotiator in the Middle East.

What's next for Israel after events at the ICC and ICJ?

Climate finance is vital to tackling climate change and decarbonising economies. Past pledges, however, have often failed to deliver, especially for developing countries. In the lead-up to COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, climate finance will be a major topic. Ruth Townend is joined by Jamie Ferguson, global director for Climate Business for International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, and Creon Butler, Director of the Global Economy and Finance program at Chatham House to discuss what action is needed, and from whom.

Episode 41: Climate finance: “show me the innovative sources”

With Bronwen Maddox this week is Suzanne Lynch, the Global Playbook author and Associate Editor at POLITICO Europe. Joining them are Armida van Rij, Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Europe Programme at Chatham House, and journalist Sebastien Maillard, Associate Fellow of the Europe Programme.

Is the far-right a threat to the European Union?

is joined by , Deputy Director and , Senior Research Fellow, both of the Chatham House Environment and Society Centre to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition in key under-attended-to sectors, including non-energy-uses of fossil fuels. The podcast builds upon a series of four Chatham House roundtables kindly supported by AIG. The series explored topics including chemicals, fertilizers and plastics, the impact of the energy transition on the financial sector, rising geopolitical and market concerns about critical materials, and the phase-down of fossil fuels.

Episode 42: Beyond the Energy Transition

With Bronwen Maddox this week is Shaharzad Akbar, the former chair of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission and an academy associate at Chatham House. Joining them are Nilofar Sakhi, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Centre and Heather Hurlburt, an associate fellow with our US and the Americas Programme.

Has the world forgotten the women of Afghanistan?

Joining Bronwen Maddox this week is Fareed Zakaria, the host of Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN. Recorded at our 2024 London Conference, they discuss the consequences of the US stepping back from its alliances, and the international order that relies on them.

Is America turning its back on the world it helped to build?

Robin Niblett discusses the difficulty of balancing national interest with human rights concerns, arguing that a Chinese state visit to the UK is arguably not the time for the UK to raise its objections, but that the Chancellor's trip to Xinjiang could have sent a stronger message about British human rights values.    

UK-China relations: Balancing national interest and human rights

Alistair Burt MP is Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign &amp; Commonwealth Office. In a recent speech at Chatham House he launched a new report from the government's Stabilisation Unit on new approaches to resolving armed conflicts. Drawing on examples from conflicts as diverse as Libya and Colombia, the report explores how deal making and peace building can reduce conflicts around the world. Agnes spoke with Alistair after the speech to find out more. Despite the success and acclaim garnered by movements such as Time's Up and #MeToo, women's access to the global economy is still a major issue. From gender pay gaps to the lack of affordable childcare, in the majority of countries women are still greatly disadvantaged. The Gender and Growth Initiative at Chatham House seeks to develop policies for combatting these problems. In their first joint interview Agnes and Ben caught up with Stephane Dubois and Roxanne Bildan to discuss how the initiative is working with the G20 to drive change in this area.&nbsp; Read the speech:  Deal Making and Peace Building: a New Approach to Reducing Conflict Find out more:  Chatham House 2018 International Policy Forum on Gender-Inclusive Growth &nbsp;

Episode 11: New Approaches to Peace Building, and Gender-Inclusive Growth at the G20

Undercurrents is back for a second season!&nbsp; This week Agnes and Ben interview two leading academics from the worlds of International Relations and History. John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago) discusses his new book,  The Great Delusion, on the rise and fall of liberal foreign policy. With China's rise and Russia's resurgence the world has returned to a zero-sum balance of power political system. John explains why he's glad to see the back of an era of western interventions, and how the US should respond to the new geopolitical reality.&nbsp; Margaret MacMillan (University of Toronto) is a renowned historian of the First World War, who gave the BBC Reith Lectures in 2018. A new special issue of International Affairs, guest-edited by Margaret, looks at the state of world politics today in comparison to the aftermath of the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles. Ben and Agnes met with her to discuss why these comparisons can be useful, and how history is used and abused by politicians in the present.&nbsp; Find the book:  The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities Read the International Affairs special issue: World Politics 100 Years After the Paris Peace Conference Listen to the 2018 Reith Lectures: The Mark of Cain: War and Humanity &nbsp; Credits: Hosts: Ben Horton and Agnes Frimston Editors: Ben Horton and Agnes Frimston Sound Editor: Jamie Reed Record and produced at Chatham House, London

Episode 25: The End of Liberal Foreign Policy, and the Legacy of the Paris Peace Conference

This week Agnes and Ben meet with experts on China's economy and the history of UK relations with the gulf states.&nbsp; Yu Jie joins Ben to explain what's happening to the Chinese economy in 2019, and what's really driving the US-China trade war.&nbsp; Then Agnes discusses UK foreign policy in the Middle East with  David Wearing, drawing on his new book, Anglo Arabia.&nbsp; Read The World Today article: Marx and spenders Find the book:  Anglo Arabia: Why Gulf Wealth Matters to Britain

Episode 26: China's Economy, and UK Relations with Saudi Arabia

This week Ben takes a deep dive into the US-China economic competition over technology, and then discusses intelligence agencies in the Global South.&nbsp; Marianne Schneider-Petsinger from the Americas Programme and Yu Jie from the Asia-Pacific Programme explain their recent co-authored report on US-China strategic competition, and  Zakia Shiraz from the University of Leicester draws on her recent article in International Affairs to explore the culture and practice of intelligence agencies beyond the 'Five Eyes' alliance.&nbsp; Read the Chatham House Research Paper:  US-China Strategic Competition: The Quest for Global Technological Leadership Read the International Affairs article: Secrecy, spies and the global South: intelligence studies beyond the 'Five eyes' alliance

Episode 42: The US-China Tech War, and Spying in the Global South

Chatham House is an independent policy instute, based in London. We have been a source of independent analysis, trusted dialogue and influential ideas for one hundred years. Today, at the beginning of our second century, we continue to offer solutions to global challenges and actively seek to empower the next generation to change their world.

UK-China relations: Balancing national interest and human rights

Chatham House

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