Latest news with #cross-Whitehall
The Guardian
15-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Jonathan Reynolds to visit China to revive key joint trade commission
The trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will travel to Beijing to revive a key trade dialogue with China months after saying it had been naive to allow Chinese investment in sensitive sectors, the Guardian has learnt. Reynolds is scheduled to travel to China later this year for high-level talks in an effort to boost bilateral trade and investment. His trip is intended to restart the UK-China joint economic and trade commission (Jetco), which has not met since 2018 when relations began deteriorating after Beijing's crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong. In documents published after Rachel Reeves' trip to China in January, the Treasury set out its intention to revive the talks. The government is also planning to conclude its cross-Whitehall audit of UK-China relations by June, although the results will not be published in full. The audit fulfils a Labour manifesto commitment and is expected to make a number of policy recommendations, including a call to improve expertise on China within government. This could include Mandarin language programmes, and training for civil servants and parliamentarians about the Chinese system. The Foreign Office declined to comment. Reynolds's trip will raise eyebrows after he said on Sunday that the UK had 'got it wrong in the past' and Conservative governments had been 'far too naive' about allowing Chinese investment in sensitive industries such as steel. The government has also come under pressure to take a tougher stance towards Beijing over human rights and security concerns. In an article for the Guardian on Tuesday Wera Hobhouse, a Liberal Democrat MP who was refused entry to Hong Kong to visit her grandchild last week, said that 'until we get a clear answer for why I was deported, no government minister should be visiting China on official business'. Hobhouse said she believed she was denied entry 'because of my role as a British parliamentarian, and one who has levelled criticism at Beijing for its human rights abuses'. Ministers seized control of British Steel's Scunthorpe steelmaking plant from its Chinese owners, Jingye, on Saturday amid a rapid deterioration in relations with the company's executives. Some inside the government suspect Jingye's actions may have been intended to stop Britain producing its own virgin steel and force it to rely on imports from China. 'You've got to be clear about what is the sort of sector where actually we can promote and cooperate and ones, frankly, where we can't,' Reynolds told Sky News' Trevor Phillips on Sunday. 'I wouldn't personally bring a Chinese company into our steel sector.' He argued that even privately owned firms had direct links to the Chinese Communist party, Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion said 'a lot of UK-Chinese trade is in non-contentious areas' such as agriculture, life sciences and the automotive sector. He appeared to moderate his comments about the steel industry on Tuesday, telling broadcasters that he would look at Chinese firms 'in a different way' without ruling out their involvement completely. Reynolds's planned trip is a signal that the government does not intend to row back on its rapprochement with Beijing. Keir Starmer is also expected to visit China later this year. Asked in October whether the UK would revive the Jetco, Reynolds said he was 'certainly open to having a conversation' about it. Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak both drew up plans to do so while they were in office. The Guardian revealed this week that ministers were considering targeting parts of the Chinese state under new foreign influence rules.
The Guardian
25-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
UK ministers vow to tackle forced labour in supply chains to mollify MPs
Ministers have vowed to tackle forced labour in supply chains to mollify MPs after asking them to remove legal protections from the Great British Energy bill. Labour MPs were whipped on Tuesday night to strip out an amendment intended to ensure that companies using forced labour do not drive the UK's green energy transition. The House of Commons voted by 314 to 198 to reject the amendment, made in the House of Lords, which sought to stop public money from being spent by the state-owned GB Energy on solar panels and other materials where there is 'credible evidence of modern slavery' in supply chains. No Labour MPs rebelled by voting against the motion to ditch the Lords amendment but some abstained, including Marie Rimmer and Rachael Maskell. China dominates the solar energy market and between 35% and 40% of polysilicon, the key raw material for solar panels, is produced in Xinjiang where the Muslim Uyghur population has been subject to arbitrary detention and forced labour. Michael Shanks, the energy security minister, said the government would strengthen its efforts to tackle forced labour including by convening cross-Whitehall meetings involving the business department, Foreign Office and Home Office. He announced that 'a senior individual' in GB Energy would be appointed specifically to lead on ethical supply chains including modern slavery, and that the company's strategic priorities would include working proactively to tackle it. Government sources argued that the GB Energy bill was the wrong vehicle for this change because tackling modern energy required a cross-government effort across multiple sectors of the economy. Shanks told the Commons on Tuesday this was a 'question right across the economy, rather than dealing with this on a company-by-company basis'. He also argued that there are existing provisions in the Procurement Act that would allow GB Energy to reject bids and terminate contracts which are known to use forced labour. Critics, including the former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith, said that the Procurement Act only applies where a company has been convicted of modern slavery in the UK or faced equivalent action abroad, and that the Chinese government would not take action against Chinese companies. A handful of Labour MPs called for stronger measures. Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham, told the Commons that 'the public deserves a guarantee that their money won't be used to fund human rights abuses.' Rimmer, the Labour MP for St Helens South and Whiston, said that 'the Modern Slavery Act doesn't work on this and the Procurement Act doesn't work', while Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, said ministers should 'switch the burden of proof' so that companies are required to demonstrate they have no association with forced labour. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Helena Kennedy, the Labour peer who sponsored the amendment in the Lords, said: 'I hope the government has a rethink on this issue. I am no hawk and believe we should keep up diplomatic exchanges on trade and climate change and ways of collaborating to end wars but we cannot continue to purchase solar panels which are the product of slave Labour. 'If China says this is not true let us come and visit the factories. Our whole history as a party is about protecting workers from exploitation. I am afraid I stand firm on this. Our moral position should guide us.' David Alton, the cross-bench peer who drafted the amendment, said he would seek to have it re-inserted once the GB Energy bill returned to the Lords. 'Both the last government and this one have been reluctant to move, despite the obvious moral imperative to avoid a slave-made green transition,' he said. 'Existing regulation isn't working, and the Procurement Act could only bar companies if there had been a conviction either in the UK or China. It's ludicrous to assume that Beijing is going to convict companies for participating in its own labour transfer schemes. This is a serious problem which needs primary or secondary legislation to address.'
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ed Miliband to visit China amid wind farm security fears
Ed Miliband is preparing to visit China for talks about closer energy cooperation despite growing concerns over Beijing's involvement in British infrastructure including wind farms. The Energy Secretary will reportedly fly out from March 17 to March 19 as he seeks to secure potential investment in UK projects. He will meet Wang Hongzhi, head of China's National Energy Administration, according to Reuters. Mr Miliband would be the third cabinet minister after Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, and David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, to visit Beijing amid efforts by Labour ministers to establish more cordial relations with the world's second-biggest economy. A spokesman for Mr Miliband's department declined to comment on 'speculation'. It comes as he is seeking to drum up investment for wind farms, solar farms, batteries and other energy projects in Britain, as the Government races to deliver its promise of a 'clean' power system by 2030. But the attempt to thaw diplomatic relations comes at a sensitive time, with a cross-Whitehall review of UK-China relations underway. This month, MPs also raised concerns about Chinese involvement in a major wind farm project which is said to have rung alarm bells in the Ministry of Defence. Mingyang Smart Energy, which is based in China, has been selected to provide the turbines for the Green Volt floating offshore wind farm, off the coast of Scotland. But MoD officials are said to have warned that the turbines, equipped with an array of sensors, could be used for spying or give Chinese engineers 'a legitimate excuse to visit any time for maintenance' and 'install almost anything they like'. Andrew Bowie, the Conservative shadow energy secretary, said there was a risk that the 'green revolution will come with a 'made in China' label'. While in Beijing, Mr Miliband will reportedly seek to revive talks known as the UK-China Energy Dialogue. These were started under the last Conservative government and covered 'clean energy technologies, civil nuclear energy, power market reforms and third country activity'. However, the talks stalled when Theresa May's administration made clear there would be no further Chinese involvement in any nuclear power stations after Hinkley Point C, in Somerset, owing to security concerns – infuriating Beijing. Nuclear will remain off the table in the latest discussions between Mr Miliband and Mr Wang, Reuters said. Labour officials have said they want to improve UK-China ties, following a hot-and-cold relationship under the Conservatives. As prime minister, David Cameron declared relations had entered a 'golden age' in 2015, following a high point that saw Chinese Premier Xi Jinping tour Britain on an official state visit. But just less than a decade later, Rishi Sunak branded Beijing the 'greatest state-based threat' to the UK's economic security following Chinese cyber attacks on infrastructure and warnings from the security services that Beijing was seeking to meddle in British politics. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
28-02-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Ed Miliband to visit China amid wind farm security fears
Ed Miliband is preparing to visit China for talks about closer energy cooperation despite growing concerns over Beijing's involvement in British infrastructure including wind farms. The Energy Secretary will reportedly fly out from March 17 to March 19 as he seeks to secure potential investment in UK projects. He will meet Wang Hongzhi, head of China's National Energy Administration, according to Reuters. Mr Miliband would be the third cabinet minister after Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, and David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, to visit Beijing amid efforts by Labour ministers to establish more cordial relations with the world's second-biggest economy. A spokesman for Mr Miliband's department declined to comment on 'speculation'. It comes as he is seeking to drum up investment for wind farms, solar farms, batteries and other energy projects in Britain, as the Government races to deliver its promise of a 'clean' power system by 2030. But the attempt to thaw diplomatic relations comes at a sensitive time, with a cross-Whitehall review of UK-China relations underway. Green Volt concern This month, MPs also raised concerns about Chinese involvement in a major wind farm project which is said to have rung alarm bells in the Ministry of Defence. Mingyang Smart Energy, which is based in China, has been selected to provide the turbines for the Green Volt floating offshore wind farm, off the coast of Scotland. But MoD officials are said to have warned that the turbines, equipped with an array of sensors, could be used for spying or give Chinese engineers 'a legitimate excuse to visit any time for maintenance' and 'install almost anything they like'. Andrew Bowie, the Conservative shadow energy secretary, said there was a risk that the 'green revolution will come with a 'made in China' label'. While in Beijing, Mr Miliband will reportedly seek to revive talks known as the UK-China Energy Dialogue. These were started under the last Conservative government and covered 'clean energy technologies, civil nuclear energy, power market reforms and third country activity'. However, the talks stalled when Theresa May's administration made clear there would be no further Chinese involvement in any nuclear power stations after Hinkley Point C, in Somerset, owing to security concerns – infuriating Beijing. Nuclear will remain off the table in the latest discussions between Mr Miliband and Mr Wang, Reuters said. Labour officials have said they want to improve UK-China ties, following a hot-and-cold relationship under the Conservatives. As prime minister, David Cameron declared relations had entered a 'golden age' in 2015, following a high point that saw Chinese Premier Xi Jinping tour Britain on an official state visit. But just less than a decade later, Rishi Sunak branded Beijing the 'greatest state-based threat' to the UK's economic security following Chinese cyber attacks on infrastructure and warnings from the security services that Beijing was seeking to meddle in British politics.
