Foreign Investment in UK and Overseas Trade: China

(asked on 20th November 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which Chinese-origin firms have been subject to restrictions on trade and investment under the (a) Import of Goods (Control) Order 1954, (b) (i) Export Control Act 2002 and (ii) Export Control Order 2008, (c) Procurement Act 2023, (d) Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 and (e) National Security and Investment Act 2021 in the last five years.


Answered by
Nusrat Ghani Portrait
Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
This question was answered on 28th November 2023

(a) The Import of Goods (Control) Order 1954, together with licences made under it, do not make Chinese-origin firms the subject of any restrictions on trade and investment.

(b) Export controls apply to anyone exporting controlled items from the UK, regardless of country of origin. The Government assesses all export licence applications against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. We will not licence the export of equipment where to do so would be inconsistent with these Criteria.

(c) None. The Procurement Act is not due for commencement until Autumn 2024.

(d) Huawei

(e) Eight final orders (which imposed conditions on, or blocked or unwound deals) issued involved acquirers linked to China. All notices of final orders are available on gov.uk.

Reticulating Splines