The government’s evolving position on China, which aims to balance the need for economic growth with its security concerns, will include its upcoming Foreign Influence Registration Scheme — a U.S.-style register of the work of foreign states in Britain. The scheme includes Russia, China and Iran, countries which MI5 views as the main state threats to the U.K.
The Home Office last month issued guidance to the U.K.’s private intelligence and security industry which included examples of how state threats could destabilize critical infrastructure. “Tactics can include collecting information about design, configuration and operation for technical access, or to gain control of supply chains through investment or monopolisation,” the department noted.
In 2019 GCHQ — an arm of MI6 — told parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee that Chinese cyber actors had previously targeted Britain’s energy sector, which saw one FTSE 100 energy company compromised, seeing commercially sensitive information stolen.
Ming Yang did not respond to a request for comment from POLITICO. The firm also met with Tory ministers during their time in government. Conservative ministers did not declare receiving any hospitality from the company.
Andrew Bowie on Thursday sought to lay the blame squarely on Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
Bowie told POLITICO: “We have been warning that Labour’s eco-zealotry will offshore this country’s energy security to China, and now the evidence is clear.
“By throwing billions of pounds of taxpayers’ cash into a breakneck rush to net zero, all to appease Ed Miliband’s ideology and vanity, Labour will hand control of our supply chains to foreign powers, leaving critical infrastructure at the mercy of China and Russia.”
A spokesperson for Miliband did not respond to a request for comment in time for deadline.
