The statement came following British new cabinet’s decision last week to delay the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant program, which has raised concerns about its openness towards foreign investment.
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Meanwhile Xinhua, China’s official news agency, said on Monday that China would not tolerate “unwanted accusations” regarding investment in Britain and since Brexit, the United Kingdom could not afford to drive-away foreign investment.
May’s predecessor David Cameron promoted the £18 billion project by French energy company EDF with financial backing from China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) as a sign of Britain’s openness to foreign investment.
May’s former colleague said on Saturday that the Prime Minister had previously expressed concern about the national security implications of the planned Chinese investment.
And former energy secretary Sir Ed Davey today provides a further clue, telling the Daily Telegraph that George Osborne blocked his proposal for a government “special share” in the Hinkley Point scheme which would have provided extra protection from national security threats.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said they had “noted” the British decision and called for the project to go ahead.
Speculation has been rife over the reasons behind the last-minute delay in signing a contract with EDF, with May’s government keen to play down rumours that the decision was down to fears of Chinese control over national infrastructure.
It said putting off the deal – which is one-third funded by China – put at risk the momentum of the “golden era” in UK-China relations.
Britain and EDF first reached a broad commercial agreement on the project in 2013, with China’s involvement surfacing two years later.
Giving green light to a 24-billion-U.S. -dollar project can never be an easy decision, and China fully understands and respects British government’s requirement for more time to ponder. China got involved two years later when Downing Street laid on a state visit for Chinese President Xi Jinping, created to cement a “Golden Era” of relations between the two countries.
“However, what China can not understand is the “suspicious approach” that comes from nowhere to Chinese investment in making the postponement”, said an English-language commentary broadcast on Xinhua.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s official spokeswoman said: “Of course with the role that China has to play on world affairs, on the global economy, on a whole range of worldwide issues, we are going to continue to seek a strong relationship with China”. Xinhua said people might think Britain was trying to erect a wall of protectionism.
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This “will surely stain its credibility as an open economy and might deter possible investors from China and other parts of the world in the future”, it added.
