BEIJING, Oct. 23 — China has always opposed the practice of overstretching the concept of national security and politicizing economic and trade issues, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, warning that such practices by the United Kingdom would severely undermine Chinese companies’ confidence in its investment environment.
Spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a regular press briefing when asked about reported U.K. security concerns over a planned 1.5-billion-pound investment by Chinese wind turbine maker Mingyang Smart Energy Group Co., Ltd. in Scotland.
The Chinese government supports Chinese enterprises in carrying out international cooperation based on mutual benefit, market principles and compliance with laws and regulations, Guo said, noting that at the same time, the security of Chinese investments is also an important consideration.
He pointed out that in recent years, it has been frequent to see normal economic and trade projects in the U.K. being impacted by pan-political and pan-security influences.
Since the U.K. National Security and Investment Act came into effect in 2022, the British government has made decisions in more than 10 cases involving Chinese enterprises, either prohibiting acquisitions or approving them with conditions.
The British government has not only actively taken over the operations of British Steel acquired by a Chinese private enterprise, it has also, through retrospective reviews, required Chinese companies to divest their shares in acquired U.K. semiconductor companies, undermining the investment security of Chinese enterprises under the pretext of so-called security concerns, Guo said.
“It is unfortunate that some in the U.K. continue to hype up the absurd ‘China threat’ narrative,” Guo said. “If such practices continue unchecked, Chinese companies will have to reassess and cautiously consider their investment decisions in the U.K.,” he added. (Xinhua)
