Menu
Sign In Search Podcasts Libraries Charts People & Topics Add Podcast API Blog Pricing
Podcast Image

Global News Podcast

Why is China seeking closer UK ties?

29 Jan 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?

0.031 - 47.298 Valerie Sanderson

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Voi sitten senkin rahan käyttää siihen, mitä oikeasti haluaa, mikä onnen ja ilon tuo. Muokraa huoleton koti. Sato.fi Tämä on Global News Podcast BBC World Service.

0

48.395 - 75.58 Valerie Sanderson

Olen Valeri Sanderson, ja 15.45 GMT on tervetuloa 29. januutia. Nämä ovat meidän mainit tarinoitamme. Britannian pääministeri Keir Starmer sanoo, että todella hyvä progressi on tehty, kun hän on käynyt Beijingin, jossa hän on tutustunut Chinesin leaderin Xi Jinpingin. Miksi tutustutututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututututut

0

Chapter 2: What new agreements did China and the UK reach during Keir Starmer's visit?

77.808 - 96.05 Valerie Sanderson

Also in this podcast, as India's massive market is explored by YouTubers. Will proposals to curb access to social media for children make any headway in the country?

0

101.163 - 125.632 Valerie Sanderson

A three day exercise in warming up the relationship between London and Beijing is underway in the Chinese capital. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and China's President Xi Jinping have been meeting, as well as business leaders from both nations. So far a deal has been announced on a visa-free 30-day travel deal for Britons going to China, as well as a major investment plan in China by the medical giant AstraZeneca.

0

Chapter 3: How does the UK plan to address human rights concerns with China?

125.632 - 150.877 Valerie Sanderson

But while both countries hope to boost economic and cultural ties, how much space is there for the UK to raise concerns about China's human rights record? The most prominent case for the UK is that of the jailed British Hong Kong businessman and activist Jimmy Lai, charged under the controversial national security law that China introduced in Hong Kong in response to large pro-democracy protests.

0

150.877 - 175.666 Valerie Sanderson

There have also been widespread human rights abuses against the Uyghur minority in China itself. Our political editor Chris Mason asked Keir Starmer how forcefully he'd raise these issues with Xi Jinping. Part of the rationale for engagement is to make sure that we can both seize the opportunities that are available, which is what we've done, but also have a mature discussion about issues that we... Were they listening on that, you think?

0

175.666 - 197.468 Valerie Sanderson

Jimmy Lai's son Sebastian had this to say.

0

Chapter 4: What are the implications of AstraZeneca's investment in China?

197.722 - 227.675 Sebastian Lai

The phrase they use is a normalization. What are we normalizing here if my father is still in prison in Hong Kong? He's a British citizen. He's been arbitrarily detained. Multiple states have called for his release. This is something that we will never normalize. So whether my father is freed or not is the ultimate test. I mean, it's a very visual representation of how China views our relationship. I mean, we could give them the world, but if they're not giving anything back, this is not a relationship.

0

228.097 - 256.025 Laura Bicker

So in terms of what's been agreed so far, how big are those deals in the grand scheme of things? I asked our China correspondent Laura Bicker, who's in Beijing. There was an expectation that there would be something bigger. Now the visit isn't over yet, there's still more to come. And it is a significant investment by AstraZeneca. And of course this visa-free travel is something that other European countries have had. More than 70 countries in fact around the world have had.

0

256.025 - 284.459 Laura Bicker

Britain was an outlier, mainly because China offers these visas after a world leader arrives on their doorstep. It's almost like, look, come here and then we'll give you the visas. I think it's kind of on the periphery. I think there are bigger issues at play, but it does seem that at least negotiations are starting. If you speak to those who do business here in China, they believe that this smooths the wheels, so to speak.

0

284.459 - 314.429 Valerie Sanderson

so that when they go to their Chinese counterparts, more permission is granted, more access is granted after a world leader visits and after relations come out of the deep freeze. There has been criticism, for example, the shadow Home Office minister Alicia Kearns says the Prime Minister Kirstarmer should not have gone to China without a precondition that the jailed Jimmy Lai would be freed. And there's also been criticism of giving the go-ahead to a huge Chinese embassy here in London.

0

314.429 - 343.403 Laura Bicker

Does China really listen to what the UK is saying? I think they'll sit there. I think they will make noises. But I think when it comes to issues on human rights, when it comes to security concerns, China really pushes back. It turns around and says to their counterparts, stop interfering in internal affairs. And I think they expect it to come up. They know that when Western governments face their counterparts here in Beijing...

343.403 - 372.226 Laura Bicker

That that's something they've been told to raise, they know that it's coming and they have their responses prepared. Is it going to change things? Very much doubt it. And I think actually one of the things that I've heard many Chinese commentators push back on, I heard from a few yesterday saying on various foreign media, hang on, you're accusing China of human rights abuses, but look at the United States. Now one has got absolutely nothing to do with the other.

372.226 - 387.886 Valerie Sanderson

But what China is basically saying is you don't have the moral high ground anymore. Well, you've raised the United States and President Xi described the world as turbulent and fluid. How do you think China is positioning itself now?

387.886 - 417.839 Laura Bicker

China is feeling confident. They're watching this parade of world leaders arrive on their doorstep. From France, from Germany next month, from Canada, from South Korea, from Finland and now the UK. These are traditional US allies now finding a way to overcome their differences with Beijing. And I think what China is trying to do is use its status as the world's factory with its manufacturing prowess.

417.839 - 433.162 Laura Bicker

to kind of galvanize power and influence on the world stage. So that is how it's kind of portraying it, not just to the leaders arriving, but also to its domestic audience. I've just been watching the flagship bulletin here in China.

Chapter 5: What challenges does Viktor Orbán face in the upcoming Hungarian elections?

616.795 - 638.699 Dr. Peter Davis

Ja hän kertoi meille enemmän siitä, mitä tärkeintä on tämä glasio.

0

638.8 - 667.876 Valerie Sanderson

Se on, kuten sanoit, suurin ja yksi suurimmista muutoksista glasioista maailmassa. Se asuu Suomen Antarktikassa, tässä suurin ison ison. Se toimii tavallaan kuin ympäristö, luonnollinen ympäristö, kukkumaan kivun Suomen Antarktikassa, jos haluat. Se pysyy takaisin toisista glasioista. Jos Thwait melkoisi, toiset glasioista olisi aikaa melkoa. Se on huomattavaa, koska Thwait on yksin 65.

0

667.876 - 693.037 Valerie Sanderson

Tämä on se, miksi siellä on niin paljon vettä.

0

693.037 - 717.539 Valerie Sanderson

Vast amount of water that could pour into the sea. So it's crucial that we understand the processes driving the melting to give us the forecast we need to adapt our societies to deal with the sea level rise that will come as the glacier melts out over the next couple of centuries. And that's the idea is to use that hot water, drill down through the ice as you heard Pete say there, drill down through the ice a kilometre and then they put...

0

717.539 - 744.607 Valerie Sanderson

Yksityiskohtaiset tekoälyt, jotka määrittävät veden luonnollisuutta, veden tuntemuksen, ja veden luonnollisuuden ympäristöä, jolloin glasio jätetään alas, kun vesi jätetään alas, kun vesi jätetään alas, kun vesi jätetään alas, kun vesi jätetään alas, kun vesi jätetään alas.

744.607 - 767.506 Valerie Sanderson

Kaikki, jotka kuulevat sinua, Jussi, huolehtivat tästä. Miten huolehtia pitäisimme olla? Se ei todennäköisesti kääntyä niin pian, onko se? Se näyttää ylöspäin, joten satelliittimateriaalit osoittavat, että kuuluvuus on lisääntynyt. Kuuluvuus on lisääntynyt nopeammin ja ilmaisuus on muuttunut nopeammin. Nämä ovat edelleen lopullisia prosessit. Puhumme kuuluvuudesta vuosina, ei vuosina.

767.506 - 792.38 Valerie Sanderson

Mutta se on, kuten Doomsday-monika suosittelee, se on maailman suurin järjestelmä, koska se on niin iso. Meidän pitäisi olla miettivät, ja me pitäisi ajatella tulevaisuuden maanlaajuisen vaikutuksen ja sitä, mitä me tarvitsemme. Koska niin moni maa maailmassa on maanlaajuisessa tai lähellä maanlaajuisessa. Ja siksi se olisi haastavasti vaikuttanut, jos se maanlaajuisuus, jota me puhutaan, tapahtuisi.

792.65 - 825.488 Valerie Sanderson

There's a new story available every weekday. The electric car maker Tesla has experienced its first ever annual decline in revenue, closing a difficult year 3% down. Now Elon Musk's company looks to be shifting its focus to other products, including artificial intelligence and robots. Our North America technology correspondent is Lily Jamali. We asked her what's going on.

825.623 - 865.853 Lily Jamali

Kiitos. Kiitos. Kiitos. Kiitos. Kiitos. In the electric vehicle space, it wasn't long ago, just a couple weeks ago, that we saw that China's BYD has surpassed Tesla as the biggest EV maker in the world. And we've also seen a bit of a backlash, to say the least, against Elon Musk, the boss at Tesla, for his involvement in right-wing politics and the role that he played therein.

Chapter 6: How is Tesla adapting to its first annual profit decline?

1238.116 - 1260.931 Viktor Orbán

Earlier in January at his annual international press conference, Mr. Orban faced questions about his friendly relations with the presidents of both Russia and America. The goal of our foreign policy is to make friends. I believe it's in the interest of the Hungarian people for the Hungarian government to be supported by as many major powers as possible.

0

1260.931 - 1290.715 Valerie Sanderson

While Viktor Orban is proud of his friendships with famous statesmen, he came to power and stayed in power with a promise to the Hungarian public. A new civic Hungary. Hardworking, well-functioning, law-abiding, socially conservative and self-confidently Hungarian. His challenger in the April election, Peter Magyar, offers essentially the same vision, because he claims that Orban betrayed it in his bid to stay in power.

0

1290.715 - 1315.927 Valerie Sanderson

Se ei ole erittäin turvallista mennä vastaan tämän hallinnon ja puhua vahvasti ja yksinkertaisesti, kriittisemmin tämän vahvan. Vaikka Viktor Orban ja hänen partinsa rauhoittivat Rasmatasin kongressinsa, Peter Magyar ja Tisza-partin kandidaatteet Hungarijan 106 yksityiskohtaisista olivat ulkopuolella.

0

1317.344 - 1347.331 Valerie Sanderson

In the village of Matra Sölös in the Cerhat Hills, Peter Madjar and local Tisza-party activists unload firewood over the fence into Jula and Valeria's garden. Both are elderly and disabled. A central plank of Peter Madjar's promise to the Hungarian people is to bring home 17 billion euros of funds due to Hungary from the EU budget,

0

1347.331 - 1368.779 Valerie Sanderson

Peter Magyars Tissa-parti on liittyvä hänen puolestaan, sanoo puolustaja Andras Pulay. Mutta elektroninen järjestelmä kivaa puolustajan puoleen. Monet ihmiset voivat valita Tissaa, ei koska he erityisesti tykkäävät tai uskottavat Peter Magyaraa, vaan koska hän on ainoa toivomaan Viktor Orbanin vastaan.

1368.779 - 1389.603 Peter Magyar

If Fidesz tries to send a message that he is a bad guy, he is a narcissist, he beats his wife, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, people think, yes, we know. And would you vote for such a guy? Yes, we would. The Hungarian election result on the 12th of April will be watched closely around the world.

1392.303 - 1409.043 Valerie Sanderson

Kuukausia sotilaita ja poliisit ovat toivoneet heidän lojaltaan puheenjohtajan, Delsi Rodriguez, miltäryhmänä Karakassa. Rodriguez on tullut johtajana, kun Yhdysvallat on saapunut hänen peräjärjestönä, Nicolás Maduro, alkuperäisenä. Tässä hän puhuu miltäryhmänä.

1409.043 - 1435.115 Valerie Sanderson

Venezuela today needs to truly believe in politics, but in politics with a capital P and with a V for Venezuela. And that means a dialogue among Venezuelans without any kind of external interference. Our reporter Mimi Suebi told me more about the significance of the event.

1435.115 - 1459.955 Valerie Sanderson

It's incredibly important. The military is and was a key asset for Nicolas Maduro, Delcio Rodriguez's predecessor. And it remains to be in place for her, really showing its support, really headed by the interior minister, Diosdado Caballo, who was a key figure in Nicolas Maduro's inner circle. And he is very much seen as a key force behind the scenes of the past government and now the interim government.

Comments

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.