Let's have a heated debate!

So news of the latest trip to China is causing a little controversy in the nomorejam world.

The question posed by some (quite vocally!) is that it's unethical to visit China, especially when the situation in Tibet is so bad. The Foreign Office have just updated it's advice here.

As a paid up member of Amnesty international, I'm well aware of the current problems in Lhasa. This is what they're currently saying about the Olympic Beijing legacy.

I don't subscribe to the view that visiting a country is the same as supporting the regime that runs it. While I won't be travelling anywhere near Tibet, the issue is worth pause for thought.

China will have an increasingly dominant position in the world throughout the 21st Century. Increasingly it's the world's manufacturing base, and with the American credit collapse, it also is taking a higher position in the finance world. Tourism boycotts will have next to no affect on the country. They really only have an impact when the people of the country ask for them, such as in Burma. That certainly isn't the case here.

Raising an issues' profile in the media, such as last week's Olympic Torch fiasco, will have a far greater affect than a few hundred people deciding not to board flights.

Passing up the opportunity to go and develop a greater understanding of a country is not something I believe in. Especially when the place will have such a significant impact on our lives.