Bagso usually i agree with you however
I have mentioned before that CAPA indicated that the Chinese are highly suspicious of opening up routes where BA, AF/KL and LH could muscle in, is this a factor ?
Think is utter rubbish -China are using their airline(s) to project their global influence -Its very intentional.
They see no fear from those carriers - they dominate and control their domestic and internal market -Can make it pretty hard for their citizens to travel on anything other than organised tours using their own carriers or via codeshares with alliance partners - Hence CA in *A and both CE/CZ in Skyteam.
That said you may have stubbled on one interesting point in the BA hasn't yet completed a suitable (to the CAAC and thereby the regime) alliance partnership.
Both France and Germany (by association the LH group AUA/SWR) have.
Right now UK is not favoured nation so is being ignored
Again this points to politics.