China’s ambassador to the UK warns failure to go through with Hinkley Point C would threaten future relationship.
China has said that its relations with the UK are at a “crucial historical junction”, and that making the decision to follow through on the Hinkley Point C nuclear project is crucial to future trust between Britain and China.
The relationship will be at risk unless the government agree to go ahead with Hinkley Point C, in which China will invest £18Bn, a third of the entire project.
Liu Xiaoming hinted that “mutual trust” could be in jeopardy if the UK government decided not to approve the deal, which has been delayed multiple times due to unexpected rises in the cost and more recently, the new UK government, which halted the process to carry out a review.
In his opinion piece, he outlined what he believed were the benefits of a new nuclear power station in the UK, and how China’s expertise could bring strength to the project.
In his conclusion he said: “Right now, the China-UK relationship is at a crucial historical juncture. Mutual trust should be treasured even more. I hope the UK will keep its door open to China and that the British government will continue to support Hinkley Point — and come to a decision as soon as possible so that the project can proceed smoothly.”
Last month, French energy company EDF gave the green light on the project, which they are financing most of. The governments surprise announcement, which is rumoured to be due to Theresa May’s concerns about Chinese involvement, means the scheme will be reviewed in early autumn.
Nick Timothy, Nick May’s Chief of staff and long time advisor has previously expressed concerns over the project, writing on the Conservativehome website that MI5 believed that Chinese intelligence services “continue to work against UK interests at home and abroad”.
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