Ep 4. Can Britain still do business with China?

China is a rising power and is already shaping the global order, and with it, Britain’s operating environment. To unpack China’s ascent and what it means for British foreign policy, Zoe Swanwick speaks to Isabel Hilton, journalist and China expert, to trace the decades that changed everything: Deng Xiaoping's opening to foreign investment, the special economic zones that supercharged growth, the WTO era that turned China into the world's industrial engine, and the more recent shift toward advanced technologies, renewables, and strategic leverage. Along the way, Isabel explains why China's rise is not just an economic story - it is a story about power, dependency, and the limits of globalisation.