Looking on the bright side of Brexit

As UK embarks on negotiations for quitting the EU, some are highlighting the possible benefits of going it alone

Theresa May, the British prime minister, recently gave formal notice of the country's intention to leave the European Union, nine months after the outcome of a referendum that surprised and disheartened many of the UK's international partners.

The narrow victory for the Brexit camp dismayed not just Britain's 27 partners in the EU but also important trading partners further afield, including China.

Concerns over the consequences of the June 23 vote dented confidence in markets worldwide, including a temporary downward one percent blip in Chinese shares.

Just ahead of the poll, China's Global Times had pointed out that London was an important hub of the internationalization of the renminbi and that a Brexit would undoubtedly cast a shadow over the trade relationship between China and the EU.

Progress toward closer UK-China ties, highlighted by the state visit of President Xi Jinping in 2015, was at least in part driven by Britain's role as a key member of the EU and by London's status as a gateway to markets in the rest of Europe.

As the first anniversary of the referendum approaches, and as the May government embarks on negotiations to define the future relationship with the EU, many of Britain's trading partners have decided to adopt a "glass half full" stance that highlights the potential benefits of its departure from the European bloc.

Among the experts prepared to lend a note of optimism to Britain's future prospects is Li Ruogu, former chairman of the Export-Import Bank of China, who told a forum in Hainan province that Brexit would pave a new path for free trade between China and the UK.

"After Brexit, China and UK trade may get freer, especially in financial services," Li told the Boao Forum for Asia.

He noted that, although the UK is not a big country with a large population, it maintains an advantage in areas such as financial services.

Britain's trading partners outside the EU would probably still prefer to see a so-called "soft" Brexit, which would preserve its gateway status to Europe's goods and financial markets.

However, there is a recognition that post-Brexit Britain would fully embrace free trade in contrast to the growth of protectionism elsewhere. Even while within the EU, Britain has resisted the imposition of punitive measures against Chinese steel exports.

In theory, British and Chinese trade negotiators could use a close bilateral relationship to their advantage to win concessions from the EU. In practice, the continuing strength of inward Chinese investment to the UK indicates China is not about to abandon a post-Brexit Britain.

As the country embarks on two years of tough bargaining with the EU on the terms of its departure, leading pro-Brexit voices are lauding the benefits of the UK going it alone.

British industrialist Sir James Dyson, a prominent "leaver", recently said he was "enormously optimistic" about future UK trade with the rest of the world, particularly Asia.

His comments came after his company, famous for its innovative vacuum cleaners, announced profits of 631 million ($792 million; 723.8 euros) last year, driven in part by 244 percent growth in sales to China.

Dyson's profits are a useful example for the Brexit camp to show that Britain can thrive once it has left the EU by strengthening its ties with markets beyond Europe.

Elsewhere, pro-Brexiters are scratching around slightly more desperately for good news to justify the decision to distance the country from its biggest market.

One MP told Parliament recently that Brexit would provide an opportunity for British farmers to increase sales of chicken feet to China.

George Eustice, a Conservative, addressing a debate on the impact of Brexit on poultry producers, said: "It never ceases to amaze me that chicken feet are a delicacy in China and can attract a high value - far, far higher than they can get here in the UK."

The writer is a senior media consultant for China Daily UK.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 03/31/2017 page11)