Education
She was educated at Edinburgh University where she studied Chinese to post-graduate level
She was educated at Edinburgh University where she studied Chinese to post-graduate level
As Secretary of the entirely non-subversive China-Scottish Association, based at her University, Hilton was placed on MI5"s "Christmas Tree" list, which prevented her from employment with the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1976. By the time the issue had been resolved, Hilton had become a feature writer for the Daily Express. Having been the Latin American affairs editor at the Sunday Times, she chose not to move to Wapping with her paper and joined The Independent in 1986 and filled the same role there.
Hilton joined The Guardian in 1997, where she has contributed a regular column.
Hilton presented the The World Tonight 1995-1998 on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4 and from 1999 has presented Nightwaves on British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 3. Concurrently from March 2005 to July 2007 she was editor and then editor-in-chief of the openDemocracy.net website and is now the editor of Chinadialogue.
Hilton was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
On British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4"s "Britain and China" programme, discussing the operation of Chinese nuclear power plant being supplied to the United Kingdom, Hilton defended China"s position on maintenance, suggesting, "perhaps from Beijing they can shut down and calibrate a nuclear power plant, without actually having to be here.".