The UK, very conscious of its ever diminishing role on the international stage, is courting China this week, with a visit to the massive Eastern nation by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Only a few years ago, Britain was at the forefront of every war, peace keeping mission, trade deal and international haranguing and negotiation. Now, she has become a pauper on the periphery of Europe, trying to regain the sparkle of old.

The UK will never again be the power that it was when it dominated over the Empire over which the sun never set. Equally, she had been in slow decline throughout the Cold War years, only retaining her importance because Germany was too ashamed of her past to assume the role of Guardian of Western Europe.

Since the disastrous fall from grace which was orchestrated by the shambolic politics of the former Labour Government, David Cameron’s coalition has had to find ways in which to re-invent the struggling island kingdom.

The British public will never, ever; accept that the nations that make up the UK have become somewhat of a non-entity. Even after the drastic cuts made to its defence force, and the impotence that has now struck Londontown’s Financial District, Britain is looking for ways in which to revive its flagging fortunes.

Mr Cameron has made great strides forward in Europe, insiders telling us that his clear, concise and businesslike approach is a breath of fresh air when compared to Gordon Brown’s indecisiveness and dithering and Tony Blair’s megalomania around the discussion table within European Union summit discussions.

The British PM’s strength is his acknowledgement of the fact that Britain has stumbled, and needs to regain her footing. While he has retained the UK’s ties with Europe – and ironically strengthened them, despite the Tories being a euro-skeptic party. In the meantime, he has cooled trans-Atlantic relations, but kept them friendly. And he has now sprung a rabbit out of the hat by courting a very emergent China. The Eastern giant knows its shortcomings, and Mr Cameron has pointed them out. He has urged more respect for human rights, more development of democracy and fewer restrictions on the general public – along with more press freedom.

But his real message is that of brokering trade deals between the UK and China, with the emphasis being on British exports to China, rather than imports. China is strong because of its huge manpower and leeway to adjust its exchange rate as it pleases. Cameron seems to have bypassed all the red tape and gone straight to the source of fantastic and huge opportunities.