In the 2010s, as China slid deeper into authoritarianism and the UK veered towards political uncertainty, the two countries declared a "Golden Era" of relations. This challenge to the established international order came amid rising global concern around Chinese party-state intrusions abroad.

All That Glistens peels away the shiny exterior of the Sino-British 'golden age' to reveal a relationship built on global capitalism, British corruption and Chinese Communist Party influence over UK affairs--to the disquiet of London's allies.

Drawing on his years on the ground in Beijing, as well as investigative research using open-source intelligence, Martin Thorley's timely book sheds light on a murky aspect of international relations. He reveals coordinated Chinese state actions reaching into the heart of Parliament, and the widespread compromise of British politics by Chinese commercial entities--particularly nuclear energy, property development and currency-trading enterprises. Exposing the close connections between Western financialization and China's geopolitical interference, this book offers a cautionary tale for all liberal democracies.