The Tory party has had a difficult relationship with China in recent years. David Cameron and George Osborne’s ‘Golden era’ of Sino-UK diplomacy foundered on the rock of Beijing’s actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang while Boris Johnson’s backbenchers have consistently urged a tougher line on tech companies like Huawei.

The G7 summit in June illustrated the predicament facing ministers: maintaining pressure on President XI over human rights violations while securing Chinese backing for global action on climate change. Tensions