Cameron to sign trade deals in China

LONDON - British Prime Minister David Cameron flew to China Monday on a delicate diplomatic mission seeking to mix lucrative business deals with the need to pay attention to human rights.

Accompanied by four government ministers and a business delegation of around 200, Cameron regards his three-day trip primarily as a “vitally important trade mission”, while he was also prepared to raise the issue of human rights, officials said.

Aides have said Cameron would raise human rights during his talks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao in a “sensible and measured way”.

His trip comes shortly after the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo, and just days after China warned Western diplomats against attending the award ceremony in Oslo next month.

On Monday, leading Chinese artist Ai Weiwei urged Cameron not to shy away from raising the problem with the Chinese leadership.

“Cameron should ask the Chinese government not to make people ‘disappear’ or to jail them merely because they have different opinions. Cameron should say that the civilised world cannot see China as a civilised country if it doesn’t change its own behaviour,” Weiwei wrote in the Guardian newspaper.

The artist, who has reportedly been placed under renewed house arrest, is hugely popular in Europe. He recently opened a major exhibition of more than 100 million ceramic sunflower seeds in London’s Tate Modern gallery.

But the much-acclaimed “carpet” of porcelain replicas lost some of its intended artistic appeal when the gallery stopped visitors from walking on it because the dust was considered a health hazard.

Britain’s Business Secretary Vince Cable said the visit was aimed at “cementing a partnership for growth” between Britain and China. Cable, who was already in China Monday, said deals worth millions of pounds would be signed.

Top British museum directors are also on the trip, hoping to gain easier access to China for British exhibitions and cultural tours.

Britain is among the largest EU investors in China, with total investment reaching more than 10 billion pounds ($16 billion).

Trade in goods and services between Britain and China was worth 32 billion pounds in 2009, with British exports totalling 7.7 billion pounds.

British exports to China rose by 44 percent in the first eight months of 2010 to 4.5 billion pounds. Key sectors for future growth include pharmaceuticals, financial services, luxury goods, telecommunications and aviation.