British MPs call for China to be officially deemed a ‘threat’ to UK

Commons Foreign Affairs Committee urges UK to boost resilience, says China is a ‘significant threat’ on ‘many different levels’

UK government should reduce dependence on China to allow Britain to stand up for its values, but continue to work with Beijing on ‘key areas’, committee adds

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Alicia Kearns, British lawmaker and chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. Photo: Reuters

Published: 9:50am, 18 Dec 2022

China should be officially deemed a “threat” to the UK, with the countries’ economic ties diluted to allow Britain to stand up for its values, lawmakers have said.

But a potentially risky shift towards stronger language should be avoided unless the government can commit to meaningful action, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) warned.

In a new report on updating the Integrated Review (IR) of defence and foreign policy, the FAC has called for the UK to bolster its resilience to international threats – including China – if it is to remain a global “heavyweight”.

To achieve this, the committee recommended bringing in a new “national resilience lead” and launching regular cross-government meetings on the issue.

Chairwoman Alicia Kearns said Britain’s ability to respond to “seismic” global shocks had been tested in recent years, from the Covid-19 pandemic to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

These events have “exposed our vulnerability”, making it “clear” the nation needed to become more resilient, she said, in particular by treading a “fine line” on relations with China.

The committee found Britain’s dependency on the global power “constrains” its ability to defend its own interests and values, limiting its options when China “challenges the international order”.