The UK government is continuously modifying its stance towards China, trying to maintain a balance between crucial economic growth and national security. As part of this effort, it is introducing the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which draws inspiration from the U.S. It will record activities of foreign governments in Britain, with particular attention to Russia, China, and Iran, as they are perceived as the principal state threats by MI5.
Just last month, the Home Office provided guidelines to the British private security and intelligence sector, indicating ways in which state threats could potentially disrupt critical infrastructure. The department emphasized on tactics such as the gathering of data on design, operation, and configuration for technical access, or gaining control over supply chains through monopolization or investment.
In 2019, it was reported by the GCHQ, a division of MI6, to the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee that Chinese cyber entities had aimed at Britain’s energy sector. This resulted in a breach at a FTSE 100 energy firm, leading to the theft of commercially sensitive information.
Ming Yang did not provide any response to POLITICO’s request for comment. The company had also held meetings with Tory ministers during their term in office. However, no hospitality received from the company was declared by the Conservative ministers.
Andrew Bowie recently pointed fingers at Energy Secretary Ed Miliband for the situation. He warned POLITICO that Labour’s extreme environmentalism might lead to the UK’s energy security being handed over to China, an allegation that has now gained evidence.
He criticized the Labour Party’s rush to achieve net-zero emissions, accusing them of throwing billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money at the initiative. In his view, this is being done to satisfy Ed Miliband’s ideology and ego, and could result in the UK’s supply chains being controlled by foreign powers, leaving crucial infrastructure at the mercy of countries like China and Russia.
Miliband’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment before the deadline.
