00:00Well, Michael Heseltine held a number of top jobs in UK Conservative governments, including...
00:05...serving as Deputy Prime Minister.
00:08Well, I think it's important...
00:10...to keep up good relationships with world powers.
00:14I had the privilege...
00:15...of going to China myself in 1973, where I met...
00:20...Premier Chu Inlai, and I've been back various times since then.
00:25I met President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Peng.
00:30So, you know, it's part of a tradition of international...
00:35...relationships that you talk to people.
00:38This visit is happening again...
00:40...with the backdrop of unpredictability from the United States.
00:45...under President Trump.
00:46I wonder to...
00:47...to what extent is Britain like much...
00:50...of Europe simply hedging its bets here?
00:55No, I don't think it's a question of hedging its bets.
00:57America is an important ally of our...
01:00...for us.
01:01I think it's a sensible diplomatic initiative.
01:05...to have good relationships on a wide basis.
01:08Is it possible to...
01:10...to do both?
01:11Does close engagement with China...
01:13...risk straining the...
01:15...transatlantic relationship?
01:17Yes, it is perfectly possible.
01:20I think it's very sensible, and, indeed, very sensible.
01:22What do you mean?
01:23What do you mean?
01:24What do you mean?
01:25what do i mean well it would be ridiculous to try and make a choice
01:30uh where you don't have to um there's a perfectly
01:35long record of relationship with china we don't often always agree
01:40with the policies they pursue but we can discuss that and it's much healthier
01:45to have discussions and it is to have a sort of silence
01:50but britain won't have to make a choice
01:55no what is the choice to be made we are having relationships with both
02:00those important countries as we are with the other great world power india
02:05and i think that diplomacy demands that you keep
02:10dialogue open in every direction from beijing's point of
02:15view um what does hosting a british prime minister offer china at this
02:20moment but it offers china a voice on
02:25the continent of europe we're outside the european community which is
02:30which is a great mistake but we obviously have a very important part
02:35which is not to play in european history and in europe europe europe's future
02:49you
02:40our prime minister is widely traveled in europe in many
02:45the issues facing europe and domestically and on
02:50world scale so i mean it's important to recognize
02:55that the united kingdom is an important player in the world
03:00world uh and my own view is clear i wish we were part of the europe
03:05european community but if we're not until we are then
03:19you
03:10it's still important to recognize the importance that we have
03:14uh
03:15as a nation with a great record you've been on these
03:20uh kind of delegations uh kind of delegations when you were uh deputy prime
03:23minister um what do you expect to come out of this visit
03:37you
03:28what would look like a win for the uk
03:33well i think the win instead of dialogue is taking place uh i know
03:38a lot of businessmen who've gone there uh i took a lot myself when i
03:42i
03:43went there um but um well indeed when the first time i went to
03:55you
03:48went to a lie uh there was a very large number of british businessmen
04:00you
03:53did ted heath had asked peter walker to take and i went as his number two
04:09you
03:58said it's it's it's all part of a well-established uh journey
04:02um
04:03and i think it's uh one that is is much to me
04:08valued
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