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The Archbishop of Canterbury accuses ministers of driving welfare claimants into a cycle of despair: is the Church of England set to become the unofficial opposition to welfare reform? And what lessons is Britain taking on the subject from America? David Cameron journeys East to try to persuade China to buy British. Are the Chinese in a mood to listen to Western leaders? And the importance of imagery in politics. Presented by Edward Stourton.

This week the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, spoke out against the government’s proposed welfare reforms. The aim of the reforms is partly to save money but also to get people off benefits and back into employment: they will include an element of compulsion, where people who persistently refuse to take up job offers may lose their right to benefits. The Bishop of Dudley, the Right Reverend David Walker, shares Dr Williams’ concerns.

The Coalition's plans for welfare reform owe a great deal to the Welfare to Work programme in the United States, introduced by the Clinton administration in the late 1990s. It relied heavily on the use of private companies, which were paid only when they managed to secure someone a stable job. One of those companies, America Works, is now tendering to do the same thing here. Peter Cove founded America Works, and describes what happened when Welfare to Work was introduced in the US.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron, was on an official visit to China this week. He had to tread the fine line between advancing Britain’s trade interests in China and making clear Britain’s position on China’s human rights record. David Rennie, the Economist’s Political Editor, has also been a China correspondent. He discusses Mr Cameron’s visit with Dr Kerry Brown, a former diplomat who now works at the foreign affairs think-tank, Chatham House.

Meanwhile, at home, Mr Cameron was taken to task for hiring an official personal photographer, paid for from the public purse. Many commentators felt the appointment was driven by vanity, but Tim Montgomerie, editor of the Conservative Home website, says that in America, this would not have raised eyebrows.