Britain will not deny Chinese investment despite tense relations

Britain will not get rid of Chinese investment despite tense relations between London and Beijing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Tuesday. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated following criticism of China's crackdown on the Uighur minority and its authoritarian approach to Hong Kong, a former British colony. However, Johnson also stressed that Britain will not be "naive" about China's investments in critical national infrastructure (CNI), such as nuclear power plants and super-fast 5G networks. "China is a huge part of our economic life and will be for a long time to come," Johnson said. "But that doesn't mean we should be naive about our critical national infrastructure," he added. According to Johnson, the United Kingdom will maintain a "cautious" approach to China, which the government has described as a "systemic competitor", but is a key player in tackling international issues such as climate change. "We should be careful about how we handle our critical infrastructure and foreign direct investment from China, so we have put in place the legislation we have," he added. He also noted that trade ties between the two countries would continue to expand, despite tensions over the controversial AUKUS defense pact with Australia and the United States, which is widely seen as a response to China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. "Despite all the problems, despite all the difficult talks about the Dalai Lama, or Hong Kong or Uyghurs, where we will continue to hold our views, trade with China will continue to grow," he said. Britain angered China last year by banning it to use technology from telecommunications giant Huawei to build its 5G network after the United States warned of the risk of espionage. The media also speculates that London is close to an agreement with the French EDF to force the Chinese state nuclear company CGN to divest its stake in the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in eastern England. CGN, meanwhile, is working with EDF to build a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in south-west England.