Is there an upside to Brexit?

Yes, if it forces Europe to get serious about the challenges the West faces from China

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HAMBURG • No one knows yet what, if anything, will happen on March 29 - B-Day, the day when Britain is to leave the European Union. It could be a non-event; it could be a disaster. Likely, it will be somewhere in between. But while the world fixates on the negatives - and there are many - of Brexit, it does have its upsides.

The EU's most globally minded member is leaving, forcing the bloc to rethink its mission and vision at just the right time. And a large part of that rethinking will now involve a plan for how London and Brussels will work together over the long run.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 06, 2019, with the headline Is there an upside to Brexit?. Subscribe