When David Cameron got off the plane in Beijing  I am sure he was pretty tired. His hectic schedule was probably running through this mind. He had business with "Tesco" in the morning and Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao in the afternoon. Why then did he take time to drop into a backstreet Hutong to meet some non-profit workers? The NGO leaders included a lady who sells silverware made by minorities, a guy who runs organic farms and a woman who looks after autistic children. The CEO's and Super-power leaders came second to Cameron's meeting with the people who deal with the matters that really count. Companies may pay us. Politicians may lead us, but non-profit leaders protect us. If you want to build trust between countries, Cameron knows that you must meet the people who deal with the issues that matter most in people's hearts.

When David Cameron arrived with a very small entourage of two or three people at the "Skills for Social Entrepreneurs" workshop run by the British Council, I was taken aback at the lack of fanfare. We were in the trendy, low lit Comtempio hutong with about thirty NGO representatives. Before he came in, we were told just to continue with our roundtable discussion and not to stand up and clap. David Cameron sat down and really engaged with the social innovators. He chatted naturally to people like Brian Zhang who runs "Special Commune". It is an organic farm where children from his Mum's orphanage come to learn life skills. He explained that it was not just about 'warehousing' young people, but preparing them for the world of real work. Cameron also spoke to a lady who runs an NGO to help autistic children become part of the wider world by teaching them how to paint. He became engrossed in this conversation probably because of his deep appreciation and empathy for people who care for disabled children. His own son, Ivan died last year aged six after suffering from cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

I was impressed that Cameron's commitment to "Big Soceity" extended beyond political rhetoric. He had a very hectic schedule ahead of him when he arrived in Beijing with the G20 in Seoul on the horizon, yet he engaged very sincerely with the NGO pioneers. I asked the leader of the Special Commune, Brian Zhang about his impression of our Prime Minister. He said "he is very young, really down to earth and looks honest for a politician; he is also very white." Brian was grateful for the opportunity to meet the British Prime Minister, because he wants to learn from the UK about introducing hippo therapy or horse riding for the disabled at the Big Commune. Brian said that he appreciated the UK's efforts to share it's experience in social enterprise. He said that it helped to build bridges between our countries - "We still do have the summer palace (where the British fought) and Yuanmingyuan (where the British and French laid waste the old summer palace) but now we are rebuilding a new relationship founded on the the sharing of ideas in social innovation.

-Clare Pearson, Charitarian Co-Founder and Overseas Editor