David Cameron ridiculed in Chinese newspaper

The cartoon in today's Global Times, a Chinese newspaper with strong links to the Communist leadership, shows David Cameron with a devil perched on his shoulder.

The headline reads "UK politics becomes a ghost of itself".

The thrust of the comment piece, written by one of the paper's editors, is a personal attack on David Cameron.

One paragraph reads:

The article is another sign of how political relations between the UK and China are at a low.

Two visits by the Dalai Lama to Britain this year have infuriated the Chinese leadership.

An expected visit to Beijing in 2012 by the British Prime Minister has been delayed.

Every other year the PM is meant to visit China. His recent trip to Asia notably did not include a stop off in China even though he wasn't far away in Japan.

The last time Cameron came to China was in November 2010 and the article suggests that visit was a failure:

Failure? Look at the deal announced today, which the PM has helped to sign, bringing a whopping £1.3 billion worth of investment by Chinese tech giant Huawei into the UK; creating an expected 700 extra jobs.

Diplomatic sources insist that David Cameron will visit China this year for talks with senior leaders, but not until after the handover of power during the Communist Party Congress expected to take place in October.

After the Congress, China's leadership is expected to be in paralysis as the newly appointed President and Premier spend the next six months establishing their new found power.

The back end of this year not regarded as the best time in the Chinese political calendar for meaningful talks or decision making.

The article suggests Cameron is neither popular nor a priority for Chinese top leaders.