Government causing ‘state of uncertainty’ on dealings with China, MPs warn

British businesses, academia and civil society face a “state of uncertainty” when dealing with China after the Government rejected a plea to provide more detail on its strategy towards Beijing, MPs warned.

Members of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee urged the Government to release an unclassified version of its China strategy in a report published last August, saying it would ensure “cross-Government coherence” and support “industries of critical national importance” when dealing with China.

But in a response published on Friday, the Government rejected the committee’s request, saying it had “clearly set out its approach to China” in its refresh of foreign, defence, security and development policy last year.

In its response, the Foreign Office said: “The Government does not intend to publish an additional China Strategy and we have not committed to do so.

“We will continue to maintain as much transparency as possible and keep Parliament informed of our approach towards China, while recognising it is not in UK interests to make every element of the strategy public.”

Committee chairwoman and senior Conservative MP Alicia Kearns criticised the decision not to provide further detail.

She said: “The Government’s refusal to publish an unclassified China Strategy leaves UK businesses, academia, civil society and even the civil service in a state of uncertainty on how to respond to threats from the Chinese Communist Party.

“Over the past two-and-a-half years the committee has heard repeatedly from experts that the lack of guidance from Government has left them stumbling in the dark.

“Successive UK governments have been naive about the consequences of deepening our ties with China, particularly when it comes to cooperation on technologies and critical national infrastructure. It is now evident that business with China comes with strings attached, even if they are not immediately apparent. “

Ms Kearns added: “Policymakers need to understand the direction of travel when it comes to the UK’s future relationship with China, and UK businesses and public sector organisations need to know exactly where lines have been drawn. Government alone can provide this clarity.”

The Government also rejected a warning from the committee that it had shown a “lack of resolve” in preventing the products of Uighur forced labour from entering the UK by not sanctioning any companies for human rights abuses in their supply chain.

The Foreign Office pointed to the decision in March 2021 to sanction four Chinese officials and one company for involvement in “serious human rights violations in Xinjiang”, adding it continued to work with allies to “hold China to account”.

Ms Kearns said: “While the Government disagrees that it lacks resolve in sanctioning against Uighur forced labour, they have failed to provide evidence that they have sanctioned companies with forced labour in their supply chains.

“The sanctioning of four Chinese officials and one entity, a Chinese security company, three years ago, is completely insufficient.”

More broadly, the Government agreed with the committee on both the importance of the Indo-Pacific and the need for a stronger focus on the region not to come at the expense of other regions where the UK had “historic and pressing commitments” such as the Middle East.

Ms Kearns said: “The UK’s tilt to the Indo-Pacific is welcome and significant effort from the Government has seen many welcome investments in our diplomatic relationships in the region.

“This is a rich and diverse geopolitical region which is home to over half the world’s population. The committee believes the UK must be resolute in its defence of rule-abiding nations, and deploy a strategy of proactive deterrence.

“This is not a threat to any other natio but a protection of that which protects the UK and our allies.”