‘Blindfolded’: Britain’s China strategy savaged in far-reaching report

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London: A damning report by the House of Commons intelligence committee has criticised the UK government for failing to protect the country from China and warns that Britain could feel consequences for years to come.

The report, five years in the making, detailed how the Chinese Communist Party uses its economic might to gain access to Britain’s civil nuclear and academic sectors for strategic gain and to mute criticism of its actions.

A British Energy sign is displayed in front of a nuclear power station on near Bridgwater, England. Credit: Matt Cardy

The report said that Britain’s intelligence agencies had diverted so many resources to counter-terrorism it had largely ignored the Chinese penetration of its society and economy.

“The lack of action to protect our assets from a known threat was a serious failure, and one from which the UK may feel the consequences for years to come,” the report said.

British universities a “rich feeding ground for China to achieve political influence”.Credit: iStock

“It is clear from our inquiry that China presents a rather different challenge for the government, one that it is still struggling to get to grips with and which it may not yet have the right tools to tackle.”

The report described Britain’s prestigious university sector as “rich feeding ground for China to achieve political influence in the UK and economic advantage over the UK”.

The report said China used the threat of denying visas to China scholars as a way of silencing dissent, and it used full-fee paying students to build universities’ dependence on international enrolments – who could also collaborate on sensitive and emerging technological research that could be applied for military use. China also steals academic data and intellectual property, the findings showed.

The report said it was not clear whether the university sector was “sufficiently alive to this threat”. It acknowledged that while some tertiary institutions expressed concern, “others seem to be turning a blind eye, happy simply to take the money”.

The committee savaged the British government for allowing Chinese investment in new nuclear plants that would place at least one plant under Chinese control using Chinese technology.

“While we recognise that the threat of disruption is less likely, the threat of leverage is very real: the fact that China will be able to exert some control over the UK’s critical national infrastructure will complicate the government’s calculations in its broader approach to China.”

Luke De Pulford, spokesman for the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China which comprises MPs from more than 30 parliaments worldwide, said their work in encouraging governments to take a tougher stance on China had been vindicated by the expose.

“This is not so much a case of Britain being asleep at the wheel, but blindfolding itself and sitting in the back seat after handing the keys to China,” he said.

“This report shows a wilful failure to protect our country from outside threats making the task of catching up Herculean, possibly insurmountable.

“Britain only needed to look to its friends in Australia to see how to protect itself from CCP interference, instead it chose not to.”

De-risking from China: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.Credit: AP

Separately, Germany, recently savaged for releasing a timid national security strategy, unveiled an also-delayed China-specific strategy in which it embraced the policy of “de-risking” from Beijing, a term first coined by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

It also pledged deeper ties with the Indo-Pacific region.

“Unfair practices on the part of China can have a negative impact on our security, sovereignty and prosperity,” the strategy said.

“We must address this threat in Germany and at the European level with suitable means.

“In addition to improving the regulatory framework in Germany and Europe, de-risking is necessary.”

Recognising that “political and economic clout” is shifting to the Indo-Pacific, Germany also pledged to expand its security policy and military co-operation with close partners in the region.

It said export controls to prevent dual-use technologies – items with both civilian and military use – being exported to China would also be widened.

Both Germany and the EU are attempting to deepen economic ties with Australia to diversify their supply lines.

However, attempts to finalise a trade deal ended in yet further stalemate despite two days of talks in Brussels this week.

The strategy called for the EU to resolve a deal swiftly along with others it is negotiating with Mexico, Chile, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Thailand and South American countries and open a framework for trade with ASEAN.

On Taiwan, it said any military action would affect German and European interests and that Germany was working for de-escalation.

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