While britain is no longer the great imperial power it once was, think how much we brits export in other ways, english language and literature (via the british council-projection of soft power?), if you are scottish, your booze is very popular with asians/chinese, not to mention technical know how. Rolls Royce engines are still used on a lot of airplanes. The wings for the airbus are finished in Wales.

Before that idiot official in Beijing decided to rate britain as a declining empire perhaps he should have though about how much the UK has given and continues to give to the world. China will also do very well out of the UK's decline, are they are in line to control our nuclear power and hs2 projects, Churchill would be turning in his grave, a foreign power with the keys to our energy supply....and the UK used to be a world leader in generating electricity....sigh!