On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to the British government’s forcing Chinese companies to divest their equity interests. Mao Ning pointed out that the British side has generalized the concept of national security, abused state power, directly interfered with the normal investment cooperation of Chinese companies in the UK, harmed the legitimate rights and interests of relevant companies, and seriously violated the market economy principles and international trade rules that the British side has always flaunted. China firmly opposes this.
Mao Ning emphasized that the UK should respect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for companies from all countries.
The outside world is deeply shocked that the British government traces "national security issues"
Just last week, Chinese technology company Wingtech Technology said that the British Department of Business and Industrial Strategy used the so-called "national security On the grounds of "safety", it notified its subsidiary Nexperia that it must divest 86's equity from the British chip company Newport Wafer Fab within a certain period of time in accordance with relevant regulations. This is exactly what Nexperia is doing in The number of additional shares acquired prior to the year. As soon as the news came out, public opinion was in an uproar.
The outside world has noticed that the reason given by the British side is that "this acquisition endangers national security." According to the British BBC report, the British believe that Nexperia's acquisition of Newport may lead to the leakage of compound semiconductor technology to China, causing the United Kingdom to lose its competitiveness. British Business Secretary Grant Shapps said in an interview that the United Kingdom does not reject foreign investment, but if it comes at the expense of "national security," it will stop immediately.
Shenzhen Satellite TV Direct News reporter found that this order is based on the British "National Security and Investment Act 2021" that just came into effect in January 2022. The "Act" requires transaction parties to declare acquisitions to the investment security review department through the mandatory declaration or voluntary declaration system. In accordance with the provisions of the "Act", the British government is allowed to exercise retroactive and intervention rights.
This acquisition was completed in August 2021, earlier than the effective date of the "Act". The British government used retroactive powers to get away with it legally, but the outside world was generally "deeply shocked" by this decision. The company stated that the acquisition of NWF had passed two security reviews before and did not accept so-called "national security" issues. The British government's move completely ignored the company's suggestions for major solutions to the government's concerns. It is understood that Nexperia has decided to appeal.
In addition, Nexperia Semiconductor will also face layoffs. The BBC highlighted in its report that layoffs would be "inevitable" if the company was forced to sell its controlling stake in the UK's largest microchip factory - a decision that would lead to worrying employment prospects.
Expert: The West is very wary of China's rise in the high-tech field
In the past year or two, Chinese companies have frequently encountered obstacles in acquiring overseas semiconductor assets. Last week, the German government blocked the sale of a semiconductor factory to a Chinese technology company, citing national security concerns. In August this year, the United States ordered two top chip manufacturers, Nvidia and AMD, to stop exporting certain high-performance chips to China.
Bao Ran, an expert in the field of digital technology and digital economy, pointed out that in the field of high-tech, the West is very wary of the rise of China. Chips are one of the most complex and critical components of all modern technology. At a time when countries around the world are seeking to strengthen domestic chip supply chains, the UK's sale of one of its strategic semiconductor assets to a Chinese company has been strongly opposed by British politicians and foreign forces.
Other analysts pointed out that the United States’ approach of “decoupling” from China in key areas has also affected the United Kingdom to some extent. This time the UK suspended the acquisition of a Chinese company, some US media broke the news that before the British government made the decision, US personnel lobbied. Although they did not explicitly ask the UK to cancel the acquisition, they stated that "if the UK does this ,better".
This is not the first time this has happened. Previously, the United States had strongly opposed the UK's 5G cooperation with China's Huawei and sent a special delegation to London to roar at the British representatives for five hours, which ultimately led to the UK being forced to abandon Huawei.
It can be seen that behind the UK's "renege", there is also an intention to please its ally the United States, and it must be consistent with its approach to China.
The "twists and turns" of this case review also show the unrest within the UK. The British government launched a retrospective review in May this year, but only formally required Nexperia to divest its stake in NWF86 six months later.
The British "Financial Times" analyzed that since May this year, the British government has experienced three changes of government, and the decision on whether to terminate the transaction has been postponed many times. "Three secretaries of state have been unwilling to talk to us for the past three months, and then the decision was made to come out of the ivory tower," business executive Tony Firth-Lewis said in an interview with the media.
The last British Prime Minister Truss once planned to update the British government's foreign and defense priorities and upgrade China from a "systemic competitor" to a "systemic threat." This year, the current Prime Minister Sunak During the party leader campaign in July, he claimed that China posed the "most serious threat" to British security and that he would take a tough stance against China if elected.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: We hope the UK will meet China halfway
However, after taking office as Prime Minister, Sunak's attitude towards China has been "uncharacteristic". According to the US "Politics" website, Sunak twice refused to call China a "systemic threat" in public, and immediately changed his tune after a slip of the tongue. Sunak also said that without dialogue with China, common global challenges will not be solved.
Does this mean that Sunak’s China policy will change? Some senior British lawmakers analyzed that Sunak's remarks were more of a "public relations stunt" than a decisive policy change. Unsurprisingly, shortly after Sunak expressed his hope for dialogue with China, the British government took action against Chinese companies again.
As for the dialogue proposed by Sunak to jointly address global challenges, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clearly expressed China’s position to diplomacy many times before. Spokesperson Mao Ning emphasized at a regular press conference on the 16th that China is committed to promoting the healthy and stable development of Sino-British relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and hopes that the British side will meet China halfway.
Author丨Wang Beini, Shenzhen TV Direct News Beijing Correspondent
Extended reading:
Has Sunak’s attitude towards China changed? Refusing to call China a "threat" twice at the G20
During the party leader election in July this year, then Conservative candidates Truss and Sunak competed to create a "tough on China" gimmick. Among them, Sunak once claimed that China poses the "most serious threat" to British security and that if he is elected, he will take a tough stance against China. However, according to the European version of the American "Politician" news network, Sunak's attitude softened after taking office as prime minister.
On November 15, local time, during an interview while attending the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, Sunak twice refused to call China a "systemic threat" and immediately changed his tune after a slip of the tongue. Sunak later stated that common global challenges will not be solved without dialogue with China. The reporter who interviewed him said that this was Sunak's "suggestion that he would give up labeling China as a 'threat'".
According to reports, Sunak’s predecessor and former British Prime Minister Truss had planned to update the British government’s foreign and defense priorities and upgrade China from a “systemic competitor” to a “systemic threat.” .
When asked whether he would continue the Truss government’s tough plan against China, Sunak replied: “My views on China are very straightforward. I think China undoubtedly poses a threat to our values ??and interests. "Systemic threats - er, systemic challenges."
According to reports, Sunak immediately corrected himself after blurting out "systemic threats," saying that he was talking about "systemic challenges," implying that he had given up. Label China a "threat." "That's how I see China," Sunak added, "but I also think China is an indisputable fact of life in the global economy. We won't be able to solve the same global challenges without talking to them, Like climate change or public health, and really dealing with Russia and Ukraine."
The reporter then asked Sunak whether he would give up reclassifying China as a "threat."
Sunak said his position was "strongly consistent with allies and their security strategies". He mentioned the national security and China strategies of the United States, Canada, and Australia, saying that they are "very similar to what I just described."
Sunak once said that when Prime Minister, he would close the Confucius Institute and give China two "hats"
Written/Zanpakutō will become the Finance Minister in February next year.
However, Johnson’s resignation as prime minister was directly related to Sunak. It was Sunak and the then health secretary Javid who resigned almost simultaneously, triggering a chain reaction. About 50 members of the government resigned within 48 hours, and Johnson was forced to step down.
This is also regarded by many people as a "political stain" on Sunak.
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In addition, Sunak’s Indian identity has also been questioned a lot.
Sunak was born in 1980 in Southampton, England, to an Indian immigrant family. Both his parents grew up in East Africa and were originally from Punjab, India. In the 1960s, his ancestors took their families across the ocean and came to the UK.
His skin color made many Indians thousands of miles away feel close to him.
On the 24th, in addition to the British themselves, there are also Indian media who are closely watching whether Sunak can be successfully elected.
This day coincides with Diwali, the biggest festival in India. Later the day before, the Indian men's cricket team had just defeated arch-rival Pakistan in the T20 World Cup final. But this does not prevent the news that "Sunak is expected to take over as British Prime Minister" from occupying the front pages of major newspapers in India and making the headlines of most Indian English websites.
“Why are Indian mainstream media so enthusiastic about Sunak’s election as British Prime Minister?”
Some Indians expressed confusion on social media, thinking that “Sunak is not Indian. "This has nothing to do with India."
They feel that although Sunak is of Indian origin, he is "thoroughly British" and is "very British" in terms of style, views, morals and thoughts.
However, the Indian blood flowing in Sunak's body and his intentional or unintentional recognition and love for Indian culture have also been welcomed by many Indians.
As a Hindu, Sunak claims not to eat beef in his life, and often places the statue of "Ganesha", which represents good luck and protection in Hindu mythology, on his desk.
After being re-elected as a member of the British House of Commons in 2017, he took the oath by pressing the Hindu classic "Bhagavad Gita" with his hand.
In 2020, after becoming the UK's first Indian-born Finance Minister, Sunak lit candles at the Finance Minister's official residence at No. 11 Downing Street to celebrate Diwali.
In April this year, Sunak was involved in controversy because his wife did not become a British citizen and used this to avoid taxes. He explained to British media at the time: "My wife loves India and she will eventually go back there to take care of her parents." This reply has obviously won a wave of favor among the Indian people.
During the Conservative Party leadership battle in August, Sunak affirmed the importance of UK-India relations and said he hoped that the relationship between the two countries would become more "two-way communication." He also said: "Britain can learn a lot from India."
At that time, some Indians believed that if Sunak took office in Downing Street, Britain and India could build closer bilateral relations.
This time, when looking forward to Sunak's victory, some people also had other emotions mixed in due to the special nature of the time.
Former Indian diplomat Rajiv Dogra believes: "Sunak becoming prime minister will be a great Diwali gift to the United Kingdom, and it is also one of the reasons for India to celebrate."
An Indian netizen wrote on social media: "When Sunak was a member of Parliament, he took an oath by pressing the Bhagavad Gita. If he repeats the same action after being elected as Prime Minister, it will be very bad for India. What a great day! This year happens to be the 75th anniversary of our independence from Britain.”
In fact, Sunak is not the first Indian-American to serve as a national leader overseas. U.S. Vice President Harris and Portuguese Prime Minister Costa all have Indian backgrounds. When they were elected, they also aroused Indians' unconcealable pride and joy.
Some media advised the Indian people to calm down. After all, these foreign politicians of Indian origin have left India and are no longer Indians in any sense.
Some netizens with African avatars reminded on Twitter: Don’t expect Sunak to do anything for India. Look at what Africans got from Obama.
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As for China, before the election, Sunak has always advocated the development of a "mature and balanced relationship" with China, and has repeatedly expressed his hope to promote the restart of the Sino-British economic dialogue.
However, in the "big vat" of British political circles showing strength towards China, Sunak did not unexpectedly change his rhetoric.
During the general election debate, he declared that on his first day as prime minister, he would “prevent China from taking over British universities, close all Confucius Institutes, and order MI5 to protect domestic companies and government agencies. Not threatened by Chinese cyber hackers."
Sunak also put on China two "hats" that some conservative politicians often talk about: "In the UK, China is stealing our technology and infiltrating our universities; internationally, China is stealing our technology and infiltrating our universities; "They are buying oil to support Putin's fascist invasion of Ukraine."
Sunak also promised to work with US President Biden and other allied leaders to "change the West's ability to respond to the Chinese threat." ".
Gao Jian believes that if the British Conservative Party, including the British political circles, indulges in the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game, there will be a larger-scale crisis in the UK's domestic and foreign affairs in the future.
To give a simple example, the central government is in such chaos now. What will happen next year when Scotland holds an "independence referendum"? Scotland has said that it will hold a second "independence referendum" in 2023, regardless of whether the central government agrees.
The historical and cultural background of this referendum is completely different from the last time. Before the United Kingdom "Brexit", Scotland, as a part of the United Kingdom and an underdeveloped region, enjoyed the welfare benefits of the European Union. The choice not to be independent in the first "referendum" had practical interests in mind. Now that the UK has "Brexit", this is a structural change. What will happen to the UK once a divided Scotland emerges?
Gao Jian said that the British political system has performed very poorly in dealing with the social crisis after "Brexit". "I am personally pessimistic about the extent to which Sunak can reverse the crisis after taking over." The partisanship and internal conflicts within the British Conservative Party show no signs of easing so far.
They have only two years left, unless they dissolve parliament in advance and call a general election. But they don't have the courage because Labor is already ahead of the Conservatives in the latest opinion polls.
The Labor Party is in the lead not because they have anyone who can save the situation in the UK, but because the Conservative Party has really disappointed the British people.
The outside world is waiting to see whether the Labor Party will learn from this experience and come up with constructive plans in the future.
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