The British government has put trade with China above vital issues of national security and human rights in a policy which “reflects an unwillingness to face the reality” that Beijing is an “active challenger” to the UK in many areas, according to the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
A report by the MPs states that the UK “needs to recalibrate its policy towards China”. A declaration by Theresa May’s government of a “golden era” in relations between the UK and China may have been misconceived and much greater scrutiny needs to be given, it says, to claims of interference in British domestic affairs by Beijing, and intelligence risks such as those allegedly posed by the involvement of telecommunications giant Huawei in this country’s 5G infrastructure.
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