UK making up China policy ‘as it goes along’, MPs warn
Commons committee says lack of coherent strategy is hampering business and leaving national security risks unaddressed The UK is making up policy on China “as it goes along” and ri
By The Guardian
MPs have warned that the UK is “making up” its China policy as it goes along, leaving businesses unable to plan and national security risks insufficiently addressed.
The criticism comes from the House of Commons Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee in a report published on 2 November 2026.
The committee said the Government had failed to deliver on its 2024 promise of a strategic, long-term and consistent approach to China.
It also criticised ministers for re-engaging with Beijing without completing the Government’s China audit or publishing a formal strategy.
Committee chair Liam Byrne said businesses could not plan for the future while the Government continued to change its approach.
The report said the UK risked ending up with “the worst of both worlds”: failing to secure commercial opportunities while being exposed to unmanaged risks linked to China.
MPs pointed to several recent decisions as evidence of what they described as a reactive and inconsistent approach. These included the late blocking of plans for Chinese company Ming Yang to build a £1.5 billion wind turbine factory in Scotland, and the emergency takeover of British Steel from its Chinese owners.
The committee said decisions on China had been marked by “reactivity, inconsistency, and opacity”.
It warned that the UK could become increasingly dependent on Chinese supply chains and face risks involving sensitive data and technology.
The report also raised concern that a lack of clarity could damage British firms’ ability to compete for major manufacturing contracts, including in the European Union.
MPs called for the Government to set clear rules for economic engagement with China. Their recommendations include identifying “red zones” where Chinese trade and investment would be off limits, alongside “green zones” where trade could be encouraged.
The committee also urged ministers to prepare new trade remedies, including possible tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, if China continued to subsidise its industries unfairly or failed to provide reciprocal access to its markets.
Further recommendations include stronger protections for sensitive data and technology, more secure supply chains, and action to prevent imports made using forced labour.
The committee said the Government needed to publish its objectives, clarify ministerial responsibility and establish a cross-government structure to direct and co-ordinate China policy.