Everyone wants to decouple from China – except Osborne
by Heather Stewart from on (#NPES)
The chancellor's charm offensive has impressed Beijing. But the powerhouse of the east is now exporting economic problems all over the world
Chinese hard hats are red, we discovered last week. George Osborne, never slow to slip into industrial workwear, had several opportunities to model one during his five-day-long grand tour, as he gladhanded officials, chatted to workers, and urged Chinese firms to help build Britain's "northern powerhouse".
The chancellor's Chinese jaunt, on which an extraordinary six other ministers joined him at various points, was part of a concerted strategy to paint himself as a forward-thinking free trader at ease on the world stage - and, of course, to suck up to the Chinese authorities.
China's biggest export these days is not plastic toys or iPhone parts: it's deflation
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