We’re all worried about Russia, but what about China?
With China supporting Putin, shouldn’t we be weaning ourselves off Chinese imports?
CIB Affiliate, Facts4EU.Org, looks at the growing dependence of the UK on Chinese products
Aside from the Royal Platinum Jubilee, for over two months the news has all been about Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. One aspect that has been little discussed is the support that Xi-Jinping’s People’s Republic of China has given to the Russian aggressor.
In this context, today’s report analyses the remarkable rise in UK imports of Chinese goods and asks:
“Is this healthy?”
Released on Wednesday (01 June 2022) the latest trade figures from the Office for National Statistics make for disturbing reading. Our summary is below, followed by five reasons we should be concerned about the UK’s reliance on China.
BREXIT SUMMARY
The inexorable rise in the UK’s imports from the ‘Xi-Jinping dynasty’
1. UK goods imports from China last year
- Imported goods in 2021 : £63.6bn
- In the last 10 years these have been increasing by more than 10% per year
- They are now more than double the figure in 2012 – just 10 years ago
2. The crushing imbalance in the UK’s trade relationship with China
- Imported goods in 2021 : £63.6bn
- Exported goods : £18.8bn
- Deficit : -£44.8bn
Why should we be worried about the UK’s increasing reliance on China?
Facts4EU.Org has reported extensively on the problems the EU has been having in imposing effective sanctions on Putin’s Russia. Despite repeated warnings, many EU countries have become reliant on oil, gas, and coal imports from their eastern neighbour – to such an extent that it has proved impossible to get a proper consensus at the EU Council.
The UK trade figures above show just how reliant the UK has become on Chinese goods. Whilst it would be possible to ‘turn off the tap’ if required, British consumers and manufacturers would most certainly feel the impact. This would lead to even more inflationary pressures when the cost of living is already being described as a crisis.
The problems with Xi-Jinping’s China
1. Hong Kong – China unilaterally tore up an international treaty with the United Kingdom, breaking international law and imposing all manner of abuses of basic human rights in that territory.
The UK has subsequently been forced to offer resettlement to hundred of thousands of Hong Kong citizens.
2. China’s actions in the South China Sea – China has invaded scores of islands and has constructed massive runways capable of launching long-range heavy bombers. It is claiming vast amounts of international waters as its own, in direct contravention of international law. In 2016 a UN Tribunal ruled unequivocally that China’s claim to own the South China Sea had no merit.
The UK’s aircraft carriers and destroyers – along with US and Australian vessels – have been forced to patrol the area to ensure vital shipping lanes remain open.
3. China’s abstention on the UN vote condemning Putin – On 25 February 2022 China abstained from voting on a UN Security Council draft resolution telling Moscow to stop attacking Ukraine and withdraw all troops immediately.
Previously, (04 Feb 2022, 20 days before Russia’s invasion), China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership, supporting each other completely over the imminent invasion of Ukraine and the potential invasion of Taiwan, promising to collaborate more against the West.
In a joint statement the two Presidents said their countries’ relationship was superior to any Cold War era alliance. They agreed to work together on space, climate change, artificial intelligence and control of the internet.
4. China’s hostile actions against British MPs and EU MEPs – China has banned five democratically-elected MPs, three peers, and several academics and UK organistaions for daring to speak out against China’s appalling human rights record.
Here is Tim Loughton MP, speaking on 30 Sept 2021:-
“China’s 
extraordinary decision to sanction five backbench Conservative MPs who dared to call out that Government’s industrial scale human rights abuses against its own people has been a massive own goal.”
Mr Loughton went on to speak about:
“…the international campaign to stand up to China’s international bullying that has been triggered by the Chinese Communist Party’s actions, badly misjudging how free speech works in a democracy.”
Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing & Shoreham, Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China
Subsequently China also banned several MEPs from the EU Parliament. Its Foreign Ministry said all these sanctions were being imposed for “severely harming China’s sovereignty and interests and maliciously spreading lies and disinformation.”
5. China’s heavy involvement in UK universities – Chinese students account for almost £2 billion of UK universities’ income. Some of the big players depend on these students for more than 20% of tuition fees.
The involvement of the Chinese in the UK’s higher education sector is insidious. In 2019 The Times reported that GCHQ had a list of 500 Chinese military scientists attached to British universities. It seems these scientists were collaborating with British academics who were working on technology with a number of military applications, including missiles, supercomputers and fighter aircraft.
In February last year it was revealed that Oxford University had agreed to re-name its Wykeham Chair of Physics as the Tencent-Wykeham Professorship. This came after the Chinese software company – which has links to the Communist regime’s intelligence services – offered a £700,000 donation.
It then emerged that almost 200 British academics were being investigated by HMRC on suspicion of helping the Chinese Government build weapons of mass destruction. None have been charged but they were suspected of inadvertently passing intellectual property to the Chinese authorities, which violates strict export laws.