Brown Examines UK-China Relations between 2010-16

Posted January 31, 2018

Scott Brown, post-doctoral fellow within the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, has written, “Free Trade, Yes; Ideology, Not So Much: The UK’s Shifting China Policy 2010-16.” The article was published by the Journal of the British Association of Chinese Studies.

In the article, Brown examines UK-China relations between 2010-16. During this period the UK downgraded political and especially human rights concerns to pursue economic gains. He explains this rapid shift by examining the dynamics of the government's decision-making process - in 2012 Chancellor George Osborne won an internal debate, persuading PM David Cameron to delegate policy formulation to him personally to serve economic interests - a move that shut out those who advocated an ethical foreign policy and/or were concerned about kowtowing to China. Even as criticism grew, Osborne's singular focus on economic opportunities drove the government's decisions on key issues.   

Scott Brown's primary research interests lie at the intersection between International Relations theory, Foreign Policy Analysis and US-EU-China relations. His first book, “Power, Perception and Foreign Policymaking: US and EU Responses to the Rise of China” was recently published by Routledge.