After Huawei, the Nuclear Question Looms Large for China-UK Relations

Planned Chinese investment in the British nuclear sector is the next big sticking point for London and Beijing.

The iconic photo of President Xi Jinping sipping a pint of ale in then-Prime Minister David Cameron’s local pub seems like it was taken a lifetime ago. In the interim, the U.K. has endured one referendum, one messy divorce from the EU, two general elections, and two new prime ministers, compared with Xi’s constant position as the «core» of China’s leadership.
The U.K. currently has eight nuclear power plants, but the majority of these plants are due to shut down before 2030 and so replacement projects are being planned. In 2016, approval was granted for the first of these, based at Hinkley Point C in Somerset. The U.K. adds valuable capacity to their energy infrastructure and works toward meeting their net-zero carbon emissions target. Due to the U.K.’s internationally acknowledged standards of regulation, a successful nuclear project for China in the U.K. would cement Beijing’s credibility as an energy infrastructure provider to the West. It would also provide a serious boost for one of China’s emerging industries.

This article was written by Philip Crowe