---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think we woefully failed to connect…"
description: "\"I think we woefully failed to connect Britain to the growing Chinese economy in the previous decade, and I have sought to remedy that. China is now the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/george-osborne-3998_britain_i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-br_1581328.png"
---

#  I think we woefully failed to connect Britain to the…

![“I think we woefully failed to connect Britain to the growing Chinese economy in the previous decade, and I have sought to remedy that. China is now the sixth biggest trading partner with the UK. We have attracted now the lion's share of Chinese investment that is going into Europe.” quote by George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/george-osborne-3998_britain_i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-br_1581328.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/george-osborne-3998_britain_i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-br_1581328.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/george-osborne-3998_britain_i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-br_1581328.png)

> “I think we woefully failed to connect Britain to the growing Chinese economy in the previous decade, and I have sought to remedy that. China is now the sixth biggest trading partner with the UK. We have attracted now the lion's share of Chinese investment that is going into Europe.”

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He believes Britain missed economic ties with China and now seeks to strengthen trade and investment.

**In simple terms:** Britain lagged behind China trade, aims to improve relations.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize strategic partnerships with China.

Themes

trade economics policy international relations investment

Mood

optimistic determined

Type

strategic policy

When to use this quote

- government negotiations
- business delegations
- investment forums
- trade agreements

Key Concepts

globalization strategic alignment economic development

Questions to Reflect On

- How can the UK balance economic benefits with geopolitical concerns?
- What sectors should be prioritized for Chinese investment?

A Different Perspective

Political opposition may view increased China ties skeptically.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Economy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy/) [Europe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/europe/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) [Lions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lions/) [Remedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remedy/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trading/) [Trading partners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trading-partners/)

## Related quotes

> [At the moment we are hard-wired into the European markets - 50% of our exports go to Europe - and that has not been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/at-the-moment-we-are-hard-wired-into-the-european-markets-50-of-our/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [There is potential for more Chinese investment in India's infrastructure, and there are already Chinese investors in India's power and telecoms sector as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-bhattacharya/there-is-potential-for-more-chinese-investment-in-india-s/)

[Arundhati Bhattacharya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-bhattacharya/)

> [We welcome Chinese investment in the United States with open arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-locke/we-welcome-chinese-investment-in-the-united-states-with-open-arms/)

[Gary Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-locke/)

> [Iran is one of their biggest trading partners. Iran has power over North Korea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/iran-is-one-of-their-biggest-trading-partners-iran-has-power-over/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [A key U.S. initiative in this trade war must be to develop reliable trading partners in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-ann-emerson/a-key-u-s-initiative-in-this-trade-war-must-be-to-develop-reliable/)

[Jo Ann Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-ann-emerson/)

> [The message is NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) is there. NAFTA has helped both our countries enormously. We live up to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mclellan/the-message-is-nafta-the-north-american-free-trade-agreement-is-there/)

[Anne McLellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mclellan/)

> [Our bilateral relations are very good, they’re very close. In the areas of business, of the economy, the United States of America last year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/our-bilateral-relations-are-very-good-they-re-very-close-in-the-areas/)

[Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/)

> [We had the Berlin Wall; we had walls everywhere. But we always looked at the wall as kind of like the outside of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/we-had-the-berlin-wall-we-had-walls-everywhere-but-we-always-looked/)

[Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/)

> [Our shared histories and common values make us natural trading partners and we will continue to work with both the United Kingdom and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-trudeau/our-shared-histories-and-common-values-make-us-natural-trading/)

[Justin Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-trudeau/)

> [Mexico is an important trading partner, it's the number one trading partner for the state of Texas. We have had dealings with them, shared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/mexico-is-an-important-trading-partner-it-s-the-number-one-trading/)

[Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/)

> [It's a topsy-turvy world in which a country can import the same amount of ice-cream, toilet paper and other goods to trading partners as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-simms/it-s-a-topsy-turvy-world-in-which-a-country-can-import-the-same/)

[Andrew Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-simms/)

> [The US is our trading partner, our neighbour, our ally and our friend... and sometimes we'd like to give them such a smack!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mercer/the-us-is-our-trading-partner-our-neighbour-our-ally-and-our-friend/)

[Rick Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mercer/)

> [Specifically in reference to Iran, Donald Trump will not be able to renegotiate the nuclear arms pact. His attempt to do so will alienate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-davidson/specifically-in-reference-to-iran-donald-trump-will-not-be-able-to/)

[Lawrence Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-davidson/)

> [The Middle East would always be an important trading partner in just a market sense, like America is a big market for us, Asia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/the-middle-east-would-always-be-an-important-trading-partner-in-just/)

[Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/)

> [It is very important for our long-term economic future that the relationship with Japan, Korea and China, who are our three biggest trading partners,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/it-is-very-important-for-our-long-term-economic-future-that-the/)

[Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/)

## More by George Osborne

> [We will also target tax evasion and off-shore tax havens... Everyone must pay their share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/we-will-also-target-tax-evasion-and-off-shore-tax-havens-everyone/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [There are plenty of people who don't want change - the Labour Party, some of their militant trade union friends like Unite busy causing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/there-are-plenty-of-people-who-don-t-want-change-the-labour-party/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [You know the illusion of the cheap money is over and now Britain has to go out there and graft and earn its way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/you-know-the-illusion-of-the-cheap-money-is-over-and-now-britain-has/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [Just as we should never balance the budget on the backs of the poor, so it is an economic delusion to think you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/just-as-we-should-never-balance-the-budget-on-the-backs-of-the-poor/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [Britain has no divine right to be one of the richest countries in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/britain-has-no-divine-right-to-be-one-of-the-richest-countries-in-the/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [There is a big problem. The problem is the country borrowed too much. We went on a borrowing binge, there was a housing boom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/there-is-a-big-problem-the-problem-is-the-country-borrowed-too-much/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [Everyone in our society has had to make a contribution towards dealing with the debts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/everyone-in-our-society-has-had-to-make-a-contribution-towards/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [Well British pension funds have not been investing the savings of British people in British infrastructure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/well-british-pension-funds-have-not-been-investing-the-savings-of/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [Believe me, I understand that most higher rate taxpayers are not the super-rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/believe-me-i-understand-that-most-higher-rate-taxpayers-are-not-the/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [The positive news is that the British economy is continuing to grow and is creating jobs. And it is positive news too that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/the-positive-news-is-that-the-british-economy-is-continuing-to-grow/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [No other chancellor in the long history of the office has felt the need to pass a law in order to convince people he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/no-other-chancellor-in-the-long-history-of-the-office-has-felt-the/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [I think you can look at the British economy with confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/i-think-you-can-look-at-the-british-economy-with-confidence/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [Every day as Chancellor I see alerts telling me of risks around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/every-day-as-chancellor-i-see-alerts-telling-me-of-risks-around-the/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [Tax cuts should be for life, not just for Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/tax-cuts-should-be-for-life-not-just-for-christmas/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

> [The rise in world oil prices has been larger than anyone forecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/the-rise-in-world-oil-prices-has-been-larger-than-anyone-forecast/)

[George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

[Explore all 118 George Osborne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/)

## More Britain quotes

> [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/)

[Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/)

> [In Britain, the press want to kill a show by revealing what's coming up and spoiling the pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-bonneville/in-britain-the-press-want-to-kill-a-show-by-revealing-what-s-coming/)

[Hugh Bonneville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-bonneville/)

> [If we don't like modern Britain, then it is very unlikely that modern Britain will like us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/if-we-don-t-like-modern-britain-then-it-is-very-unlikely-that-modern/)

[Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/)

> [It is time Britain put its trust back into the Labour Party. I believe I am the candidate that can make this happen precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-abbott/it-is-time-britain-put-its-trust-back-into-the-labour-party-i-believe/)

[Diane Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-abbott/)

> [Britain has the IRA and no one cancels concerts there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-osbourne/britain-has-the-ira-and-no-one-cancels-concerts-there/)

[Sharon Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-osbourne/)

> [The establishment in Britain is certainly against the arts and against education. If something doesn't make a profit, it's invalid, and art doesn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maxwell-davies/the-establishment-in-britain-is-certainly-against-the-arts-and/)

[Peter Maxwell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maxwell-davies/)

> [We from every religion feel comfortable in Britain because there is a host. The Church of England is a good host, it has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/we-from-every-religion-feel-comfortable-in-britain-because-there-is-a/)

[Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/)

> [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/)

[Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/)

> [I think the first person to call me 'Britain's Obama' was Martin Bright at the New Statesman. Harriet Harman made the comparison once at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/i-think-the-first-person-to-call-me-britain-s-obama-was-martin-bright/)

[Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/)

> [I am the last of Britain's stately homos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/i-am-the-last-of-britain-s-stately-homos/)

[Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/)

> [ As for whether what happened in Britain improves\[Donald\] Trump's chances of winning, I don't think so. He has the same chances; we may just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-michael-cillizza/as-for-whether-what-happened-in-britain-improves-donald-trump-s/)

[Christopher Michael Cillizza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-michael-cillizza/)

> [Britain, like other European states, is not and never will again be in the top-world-power league, so its male leaders can afford to play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-colley/britain-like-other-european-states-is-not-and-never-will-again-be-in/)

[Linda Colley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-colley/)

> [When you go away, you see where you come from in a different light. I see Scotland, and the rest of Britain, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/when-you-go-away-you-see-where-you-come-from-in-a-different-light-i/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [It was very hard breaking into the film industry in Britain. I had been to art school, and I was painting and doing commercials.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-scott/it-was-very-hard-breaking-into-the-film-industry-in-britain-i-had/)

[Tony Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-scott/)

> [Germany has always stood for an E.U. of the 27 countries. But in light of Britain's continued resistance to further integration steps, as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-schauble/germany-has-always-stood-for-an-e-u-of-the-27-countries-but-in-light/)

[Wolfgang Schauble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-schauble/)

[Browse all 1,648 Britain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think we woefully failed to connect Britain to the growing Chinese economy in the previous decade, and I have sought to remedy that. China is now the sixth biggest trading partner with the UK. We have attracted now the lion's share of Chinese investment that is going into Europe.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Osborne"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-britain-to-the-growing-chinese/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Britain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-britain-to-the-growing-chinese/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/george-osborne-3998_britain_i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-br_1581328.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/george-osborne-3998_britain_i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-br_1581328.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e9/george-osborne-3998_britain_i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-br_1581328.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think we woefully failed to connect Britain to the growing Chinese economy in the previous decade, and I…” — George Osborne",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "George Osborne",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think we woefully failed to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-britain-to-the-growing-chinese/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/i-think-we-woefully-failed-to-connect-britain-to-the-growing-chinese/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
