Vince Cable: A Liberal Democrat in thrall to Beijing’s illiberal dictatorship

Originally published by the Hong Kong Free Press on 28/11/2020.

There is a new book about the rise of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Can you guess the colour of its cover?

Bright red books have been understandably mocked by the China-watcher community. Yet we should cut the authors some slack as this is most certainly the publishers’ decision. They know how to market a book which appeals to the masses, no matter what the sneering specialists might say.

I feel somewhat relieved to discover that volumes bound in deep red are a minority amongst my small China collection, and those that do opt for this cliché colouring, Odd Arne Westad’s Restless Empire and Jonathan Fenby’s Tiger Head, Snake Tails to mention just two, are both thoroughly well researched and sound.

The new book by the former leader of the British Liberal Democrat (Lib Dem) party, and former Business Secretary, Sir Vince Cable takes this colouring to a whole new level. The cover of China: Engage! Avoid the New Cold War features a colossal red wave hurtling towards the West’s ladies of liberty. Striking enough, don’t you think?

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How new US president can lead the free world in the pushback against China

Originally published by the Hong Kong Free Press on 12/11/2020.

We got there eventually. Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States. Despite a nail-biting election night, last Saturday Pennsylvania put the former-Vice President into the White House.

Of course, by Friday we had figured that Biden would, in all likelihood, be the 46th President. Yet in order to avoid the ire of the tantrum throwing wannabe-tyrant currently occupying the Oval Office, the networks, the Democrats, and leaders all around the free world waited patiently. Not that this stopped the outgoing President, Donald Trump, from screaming foul play.

“Outgoing” – what a welcome prefix to ”President Donald Trump.” Although many of us will have to wait until this becomes “former President” before we can sleep easy. I say many because outside of America there is a bipartisan anti-Trump consensus. Even many Conservative parliamentarians here in Britain would have enthusiastically voted for the Biden-Harris ticket (what that says about the old Tory Party, or rather the US Democrats, I’ll leave to you).

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE.