Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishAs ministers scramble to regain control of British Steel amid suspicion its Chinese owner was ready to abandon its furnaces, scrutiny is mounting over how far Beijing’s tentacles reach across the UK’s critical national assets.Green power, red flags China is deeply involved in the UK’s renewable energy sector – from supplying virtually all solar panels to investing in offshore wind projects.While these have advanced the Government’s Net Zero goals, they have exposed Britain’s dependence on Chinese manufacturing.MI5 is currently taking part in a review into Beijing’s influence in national infrastructure. This includes our heavy reliance on Chinese-made equipment, and whether the use of its technology poses a security threat in the future.Chinese manufacturers account for 98 per cent of solar panels already installed across Britain. And this newspaper found that Chinese firms are now linked to around a third of all offshore wind projects in the UK, worth a total of £56billion.Alarmingly, four of those companies have been placed on a Pentagon blacklist for allegedly working with the Chinese military.Meanwhile, China’s largest wind turbine company, Mingyang Smart Energy Group, has just been handed ‘priority status’ to set up a manufacturing base in Scotland, despite Norway having rejected its bid last year amid national security concerns. Chinese manufacturers account for 98 per cent of solar panels already installed across Britain Chinese firms are now linked to around a third of all offshore wind projects in the UK, worth a total of £56billionNuclear falloutChina General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) once sat comfortably in the cockpit of the UK’s nuclear future, owning a 33.5 per cent stake in the Hinkley Point C project.But that foothold in the Somerset nuclear plant has shrunk drastically, with funding halted in 2023, amid mounting tensions between London and Beijing.China was also involved in building the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk, but in 2022 the Government paid £679million to buy out CGN’s stake. Despite this, CGN still hopes to develop a proposed nuclear plant at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex.Water pressureState-owned China Investment Corporation (CIC) holds a 8.7 per cent stake in Thames Water – the UK’s largest water utility.The firm supplies water and deals with the sewage for 15million people – a quarter of England’s population.Utilities unrestCIC acquired a 10.5 per cent stake of National Grid’s gas distribution network in 2016.Meanwhile, conglomerate CK Hutchison – based in China-controlled Hong Kong – owns UK Power Networks, which supplies electricity to London, the South East and the East of England.Concerns have also been raised about smart meters made by a company with links to the Chinese government that have been installed in hundreds of thousands of British homes. Critics have called for them to be ripped out over concerns that China could shut down power through access to the meters’ remote power switch. A flag bearing the logo of CK Hutchison – based in China-controlled Hong Kong – who owns UK Power Networks, which supplies electricity to London, the South East and the East of EnglandTelecommunications tangleChinese tech giant Huawei became deeply embedded in the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure in 2005, supplying cheap equipment for new 5G networks.However, concerns over potential espionage, Huawei’s ties with Beijing and its founder Ren Zhengfei’s background as an officer in the People’s Liberation Army, saw the Government reverse policy.In 2020 a law was passed banning UK mobile providers from purchasing new Huawei 5G equipment and forcing them to remove all its kit from their networks by 2027.Heathrow hang-ups(CIC) holds a major 10 per cent stake in Heathrow Airport, giving Beijing a strong foothold in our international aviation hub.The state-owned firm’s share of dividends from the UK’s busiest airport came to almost £163million between 2017 and 2020.It acquired the foothold in Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited in 2012 – the company, previously known as BAA, also owns other major UK airports, including Stansted, Southampton, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. Planes parked at Terminal 5 of London’s Heathrow Airport. (CIC) holds a major 10 per cent stake in Heathrow Airport, giving Beijing a strong foothold in our international aviation hubReal estate agentsChinese investment in UK real estate is vast. Through various entities, Beijing owns more than 250 vital properties, including distribution centres that are key to the flow of food and goods.The properties are all ultimately owned by CIC via secretive offshore jurisdictions, such as Luxembourg and the Isle of Man, an investigation in 2023 revealed.CIC is estimated to have spent more than £580million hoovering up these properties in the UK.It also holds a majority stake in Logicor, a major warehouse and logistics firm serving customers of popular companies, including M&S.One of London’s tallest buildings, the £1billion Leadenhall Building – also known as the Cheesegrater – is owned by a Chinese magnate. And the City of London’s landmark Walkie Talkie building – 20 Fenchurch Street – was bought by a Chinese investors for £1.3billion, making it one of China’s largest acquisitions of UK real estate.University challengedChinese organisations have pumped nearly £50million into the UK’s top universities in recent years.Oxford University alone received £24million from 2020 to 2024, while Cambridge received between £12miilion and £19million in the same period. This included money from Huawei and its subsidiaries after it was banned from involvement in Britain’s telecommunications infrastructure in 2020.The number of Chinese students in the UK has surged by a third in five years, with each paying up to three times the fees of UK students.Confucius Institutes – educational centres funded by the Chinese government – have sprouted across UK universities, sparking concerns.Critics have warned the education system in the UK is increasingly becoming a target for Beijing as it looks to increase its global influence and stifle criticism. Queen’s college, part of Oxford University, which reportedly received £24million from 2020 to 2024 from Chinese organisations, while the number of Chinese students in the UK has surged by a third in five years, with each paying up to three times the fees of UK studentsPints to pizzaChinese firms have quietly acquired British favourites, including Greene King, one of the UK’s largest pub chains, which was bought by Hong Kong-based CK Asset Holdings in 2019.Other acquisitions include Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, which is owned by Chinese conglomerate Fosun International. While popular high street restaurant chain Pizza Express is now owned by the Chinese private equity firm Hony Capital.Slippery oil dealsThe Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland, which is part owned by PetroChina, is being shut down later this year.The closure will mean that rather than refining North Sea crude domestically, it will instead be shipped abroad and then bought back into the UK.The refinery is Scotland’s only one, but the owners intends to turn it into an import terminal instead.Critics warn the closure, resulting in the loss of about 400 jobs, could erode the nation’s energy security by giving Beijing a strategic advantage in jet fuel supply.Unite, which represents thousands of oil and gas workers, has also warned that closure will open the door to reliance on foreign imports for fuels.The Chinese company bought a 50 per cent stake in Grangemouth in 2011 from British businessman Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group, which acquired it in 2005 from BP.
Keep Reading
