Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing was meant to signal a reset in Britain’s relationship with China. Instead, it has sparked fresh questions about how far the UK should go in courting a global superpower accused of sliding back towards authoritarian rule.
On today’s Daily T, Camilla and Tim speak to bestselling author Jung Chang, whose latest book Fly, Wild Swans traces China’s path from the horrors of Mao’s Cultural Revolution to the Xi Jinping era. Chang argues that Western leaders are ignoring uncomfortable truths about modern China, and warns that the country risks drifting back towards a darker past.
She also reflects on her own extraordinary story: growing up under Mao, watching her father persecuted, and eventually escaping to Britain, where she would go on to write one of the most influential accounts of modern China ever published. So, as Britain looks east for trade and diplomacy, are we forgetting the lessons of history?
We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] or find @dailytpodcast on TikTok, Instagram and X
► Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor
Producers: Georgia Coan and Lilian Fawcett
Senior Producer: John Cadigan
Additional production from Annabel Hogan
Executive Producer: Charlotte Seligman
Video Producer: Will Walters
Studio Operator: Meghan Searle
Social Producer: Nada Aggour
Editor: Camilla Tominey
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.