Experts split on Brexit impact on Chinese links

Dennis Novy believes Chinese investors would no longer take the UK seriously if the country left the EU.

"It would be one-sided deterioration," argues the associate professor of economics at the University of Warwick, who has written numerous articles on the subject. "Britain would be in a much worse position and would not matter much to China, since Britain is a relatively small player on the global stage.

"The EU works because it leverages size. There are a lot of small countries in Europe that individually are not terribly powerful, but together they can increase their economic and political power. Of course, this is also true for the UK."

He believes the main reason China is talking to the UK now is due to direct influence Beijing believes the UK has in Brussels.

"What would Britain look like if it left the EU? This is the big question, and I think this is the weak point of the Brexit campaign because we have a relatively good understanding what the future would look like if Britain remains in the EU, but if it left it would be much harder to think about," Novy says.

Full article: http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2015-12/18/content_22739366.htm