36. Britain and China: Following the Money

Britain faces a huge challenge in its relationship with China: can it do business with a rising superpower while keeping the UK safe? Reporter Celia Hatton has been following Chinese state money that flowed into UK business over the last two decades. With exclusive access to new research, and interviews with those at the heart of key deals, she reveals how the Chinese state was far more active than may have been realised at the time. Was the UK outsmarted by Beijing’s long-term planning? And what does it tell us about how Britain reckons with China’s power today?