Focus on Scotland, not China, Mr Osborne

George Osborne in China (Image: Daily Telegraph)

It is always a healthy sign if someone looks up to another. You would like to replicate a person, or people, you believe are better off than yourself - there is nothing wrong with that. However, there is a danger that you may lose track of your own identity. You may want to experience the lifestyle of your favourite actor, but do those tattoos represent who you are? This is something George Osborne has to think about when forging relationships with nations that have an admirable economic record.

Our Chancellor is finding ways to continue UK's economic recovery. He is very much the man who craves a good statistic - 'our unemployment levels, down', 'standard of living, improving', and so on. He wants music to the public's ears, which is understandable because if he said the opposite, the feel of Britain will be lower than it actually is. So, Mr Osborne's next stage is to be friendly to very powerful countries which are outside the European Union. Whilst David Cameron sweet talks German Chancellor Angela Merkel, our Chancellor tops up his air-miles and travels to the Far East, kissing the feet of the Chinese.

On the 19th February, Osborne took a trip to Hong Kong "so that together, we [UK] can be a bridge - and not a barrier - to trade between mainland China and the World". And there's a reason behind this; China is the second biggest economy in the globe, and have come a long way from 30 years. They have transformed themselves from rags to riches. This is an effect Osborne wants to happen in the UK, but at a faster rate.

I have nothing against China's economic record, but having said that, by being one of the world's most populated countries, their finances need to be shipshape. On the other hand, they have the brightest and their Universities are creeping up to be among the best. Countries across the world rely on their economic performance because, a lot of the items you buy, are "Made in China". They are a brainy bunch. However, I cannot help myself but think Osborne is purring to the wrong country.

China and UK are very different. We Brits may love their food but cultures are worlds apart. The Chinese focus so much on youth development, you see their children take part in sport activities during dawn and study a few languages, maths and technology non-stop until dark. This is something Osborne admires and he's been very outspoken about this. He suggested last year, on a visit to the country with London's Mayor Boris Johnson, that children in London must learn Mandarin in order to gain a better professional relationship with the Chinese.

Imagine if Mandarin was part of the British school curriculum? Some of us groan at the thought of an English Literature class, how can Osborne or Johnson expect British kids to be a country full of fluent Mandarin speakers?

Osborne also wants to open the British doors to Chinese people and transform the City and the UK banking system. If they are good at economics in Beijing or Shanghai, then surely they can be capable of doing that much better in London? Perhaps - the Chinese are among the most intelligent and focused people so that they could adapt to the British economy easier than most. But despite the talent, not all in China have that privilege. The Brits argue the gap between the richest and poorest is widening in the UK, but reports show that China's equality is among the worst in the world. It appears that unfortunately, the best educated in China are the ones who have their education paid for.

In addition, their one child policy has affected thousands and thousands or families there so if one family had two children, the eldest will get the positive attention from their government whilst the youngest won't. Certainly, laws have recently been relaxed but they still neglect some of those who have potential. If Britain isn't careful, we would head that way too. Looking up to China could stall the progress of British talent. Osborne must look at all corners and think "yes, it's good to admire the likes of China, but copying their economic strategy will be going one step forward, then two steps back for the UK".

Alex Salmond (Image: The Independent)

Instead of travelling across the globe and bowing to other countries, the Chancellor should look in his backyard and sort out a potential problem for Britain. Due to the government's ignorance, Scotland ministers want to discard themselves from Great Britain. With just over six months until the big independence vote up north, Westminster is doing little to find a Plan C. Their Plan A, which was effectively begging Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond to change his mind, failed; while Plan B (which is still in motion) is to convince the people of Scotland to vote "No". Plan C is my view should be to prepare life, with, or without Scotland.

I fear that the "No" camp will focus so much on saying the word "no", they'll be blind to see the potential economic effects should their campaign fail. It has been made clear that most politicians in Westminster are backing the "No" campaign, but instead of doing this, they should think of ways of coping economically without Scotland's investments. One way of doing this is to actually make friends with the likes of Salmond. Perhaps they mustn't join the "Yes" campaign but should Scotland blossom without UK, Salmond, who would be Prime Minister as a result of independence, may not want to shake hands with Westminster due to their current attitude towards Scotland.

It is important that Osborne needs to keep his professional cap on and prioritise on home issues rather than shining the shoes of the Chinese government, who have problems of their own. It may be worth mentioning that the UK / China ties could vanish by the end of next year if Labour wins the next general election as Ed Miliband's foreign interests lie elsewhere. His international policies have been kept close to his chest at present but I'm sure this will escalate later in the year. Meanwhile, one must suggest that the English (and some of the Welsh) politicians must be nice to Scotland.