Source · Select Committees · National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
Recommendation 23
23
Acknowledged
China poses a clear long-term national security threat to the UK—both directly through its malicious...
Conclusion
China poses a clear long-term national security threat to the UK—both directly through its malicious targeting of UK interests, and indirectly through its support to Russia over the Ukraine conflict. We have concerns that the Government is not striking the right balance—and indeed about whether it is prepared to accept the unpalatable reality that long-term security has short-term financial costs. (Conclusion, Paragraph 104)
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges China's long-term national security threat and states it is taking a strategic approach that balances economic engagement with robust challenge, citing existing measures like the NSI Act and ongoing diplomatic engagement with China regarding Russia.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We are taking a long-term, strategic approach, rooted in the UK national interest. We recognise that China poses a series of threats to UK national security, and we challenge these robustly – from cyber-attacks, foreign interference and espionage targeting our democratic institutions, to transnational repression of Hong Kongers and China’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We are also alive to the fact that China presents the UK with opportunities as the world’s second largest economy and the UK’s third largest trading partner. We will therefore continue to develop a consistent and pragmatic approach to economic engagement, without compromising our national security. The Government will not hesitate to use our powers to protect national security wherever we identify concerns. We have a range of effective measures in place, including the National Security and Investment Act, which gives the Government powers to intervene in acquisitions that may give rise to risks to the UK’s national security. We will increase our focus towards promoting industries and technologies that drive economic growth, while securing supply chains in critical and important sectors. Our new Industrial Strategy and Trade Strategies are central to this. We engage China regularly on its political and military backing for Russia, including the provision by Chinese companies of dual-use goods and support to Russia’s military industrial complex, including at Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary-level and, most recently, during the Prime Minister’s visit to Beijing in January 2026. When meeting Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in January 2026, the Prime Minister called on China to end economic support for Russia’s war effort, including companies providing dual-use technologies, and urged them to use their influence on Putin to end his aggression in Ukraine.