Mao Ning stressed that the British side should earnestly respect the legitimate rights and interests of China enterprises and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory business environment for enterprises from all over the world.
Tracing back to the "national security issue", the British government was deeply shocked.
Just last week, China-based technology company Wen Tai Technology said that the British Ministry of Commerce and Industrial Strategy informed its Anshi Semiconductor Company that it must divest 86% of its shares from the British chip company Newport Wafer Factory in a certain period of time on the grounds of so-called "national security", which is exactly the number of shares that Anshi Semiconductor acquired a year ago. When the news came out, public opinion was in an uproar.
The outside world has noticed that the reason given by the British side is that "this acquisition endangers national security." According to the BBC, the British side believes that AXA Semiconductor's acquisition of Newport may lead to the leakage of composite semiconductor technology to China, making Britain lose its competitiveness. Grant Shapes, British business secretary, said in an interview that Britain does not exclude foreign investment, but it will stop immediately if it costs "national security".
The live members of Shenzhen Satellite TV found that this order was based on the British National Security and Investment Act 202 1, which just came into effect in June 2022. The bill requires both parties to the transaction to declare the acquisition to the investment security review department through the compulsory declaration or voluntary declaration system, and allows the British government to exercise the right of traceability and intervention according to the provisions of the bill.
The acquisition was completed in August, 20021year, earlier than the effective time of the bill. The British government used the retrospective right, which is legally acceptable, but the outside world is generally "deeply shocked" by this decision. The company said that it had passed the security review twice before the acquisition of NWF and did not accept the so-called "national security" issue. The British government completely ignored the major solutions proposed by enterprises in response to government concerns. It is understood that Anshi Semiconductor Company has decided to file an appeal.
In addition, AXA Semiconductor will also face the problem of layoffs. The BBC stressed in the report that if the company is forced to sell its controlling stake in Britain's largest microchip factory, layoffs are "inevitable"-a decision that will lead to worrying employment prospects.
Expert: In the high-tech field, the West is very wary of the rise of China.
In the past year or two, China enterprises have frequently encountered obstacles in purchasing overseas semiconductor assets. Last week, the German government blocked the sale of a semiconductor factory to a China technology company on the grounds of national security. In August this year, the United States ordered NVIDIA and AMD, two top chip manufacturers, to stop exporting some high-performance chips to China.
Bao Ran, an expert in the field of digital technology and digital economy, pointed out that in the high-tech field, the West is very wary of the rise of China. Chip is one of the most complex and critical components in all modern technologies. When all countries in the world are seeking to strengthen the domestic chip supply chain, Britain sold one of its strategic semiconductor assets to a China company, which was strongly opposed by British politicians and foreign forces.
Some analysts pointed out that the practice of "decoupling from China" adopted by the United States in key areas also affected Britain to some extent. When Britain interrupted the acquisition of China enterprises, some American media broke the news that American personnel had lobbied before the British government made a decision. Although they did not explicitly point out that Britain should cancel the acquisition, they said that "it would be better if Britain did so".
This is not the first time. Previously, in the cooperation between Britain and China Huawei 5G, the United States strongly opposed it, and sent a delegation to London to roar at the British representative for five hours, which eventually forced Britain to give up Huawei. It can be seen that behind Britain's "reneging on its word", it also means to please its ally, the United States, and it must keep pace with its pace in China.
The "twists and turns" of this case review also shows the turmoil in Britain. The British government began retrospective review in May this year, but it took six months to formally ask Anshi Semiconductor to divest 86% of NWF.
The Financial Times said that since May this year, the British government has experienced three government changes, and the decision on whether to cancel the transaction has been postponed several times. Tony Firth-Louis, the head of the company, said in an interview with the media, "In the past three months, all three secretaries of state refused to talk to us and then decided to come out of the ivory tower."
The last British Prime Minister Trass had planned to update the British government's diplomatic and defense priorities and upgrade China from a "systematic competitor" to a "systematic threat". The current Prime Minister Sunak declared in his election campaign in July this year that China posed the "most serious threat" to British security, and if he was elected, he would take a tough stance against China.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: I hope the British side will move in the same direction as the Chinese side.
However, after becoming prime minister, Sunak's attitude towards China was "uncharacteristic". According to the US "Politics" website, Sunak twice refused to call China a "systematic threat" in public, and immediately changed his mouth after a slip of the tongue. Sunak also said that without dialogue with China, global challenges will not be solved.
Does this mean that Sunak's China policy will change? Some senior British parliamentarians analyzed that Sunak's remarks were not so much a decisive policy turn as a "public relations stunt". Unsurprisingly, shortly after Sunak stated that he wanted to talk to China, the British government took action against China enterprises again.
Regarding Sunak's proposal of dealing with global challenges through dialogue, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China has clearly expressed China's position to diplomacy many times before. Spokesman Mao Ning stressed at the regular press conference on June 5438+06 that China is committed to promoting the healthy and stable development of Sino-British relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and hopes that Britain and China will move in the same direction.
The author is Wang Beini, a reporter from Shenzhen Satellite TV.
Extended reading:
Sunak's attitude towards China has changed? Twice refused to call China a "threat" at G20 meetings.
In the party leader election in July this year, then Conservative candidates Trass and Sunak competed to create "tough on China" gimmicks. Among them, Sunak once declared that China posed the "most serious threat" to British security, and if he was elected, he would take a tough stance against China. However, according to the European version of the US "Politician" news network, after taking office as prime minister, Sunak's attitude has softened.
When interviewed at local time165438+1October1May, Sunak, who was attending the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, twice refused to call China a "systematic threat", and immediately changed his mouth after a slip of the tongue. Sunak later said that global challenges could not be solved without dialogue with China. The reporter who interviewed him said that this was Sunak's "suggestion to give up listing China as a' threat'".
It is reported that Sunak's predecessor, former British Prime Minister Trass, had planned to update the British government's diplomatic and defense priorities and upgrade China from a "systematic competitor" to a "systematic threat".
When asked whether the Trass government's tough plan for China will continue, Sunak replied: "My views on China are straightforward. I think China undoubtedly poses a systemic threat to our values and interests-er, a systemic challenge. "
It is reported that Sunak immediately corrected the "systematic threat" after blurting it out, calling himself a "systematic challenge" and hinting to give up listing China as a "threat". "This is my view of China," Sunak added, "but I also think that China is an indisputable fact in the global economy. If we don't talk to them, we won't be able to solve the same global challenges, such as climate change or public health, nor can we really deal with Russia and Ukraine. "
Subsequently, the reporter asked Sunak whether he would give up reclassifying China as a "threat". Sunak said that his position is "highly consistent with allies and their security strategies." He mentioned the national security and China strategy of the United States, Canada and Australia, calling them "very similar to what I just described".
Sunak once said that when he became prime minister, he would close the Confucius Institute and put two "hats" on China.
Writing/chopping knife will be appointed as finance minister in February next year.
However, Johnson's resignation as prime minister is directly related to Sunak. It was Sunak and then Health Minister Dzzavid who resigned almost at the same time, which triggered a chain reaction. About 50 government members resigned in 48 hours, and Johnson was forced to step down.
This is also regarded by many as Sunak's "political stain".
02
In addition, Sunak's Indian identity has also been questioned.
Sunak 1980 was born in an Indian immigrant family in Southampton, England. His parents grew up in East Africa and their ancestral home is Punjab, India. In the 1960s, his grandparents came to England with their families.
His skin color makes many Indians feel close thousands of miles away.
On the 24th, in addition to the British themselves, the Indian media kept an eye on whether Sunak could be successfully elected.
This day coincides with Diwali, India's biggest festival. Late the day before, the Indian men's cricket team just defeated its arch-rival Pakistan in the T20 World Cup final. But this does not prevent the news that "Sunak is expected to take over as British Prime Minister" from occupying the front pages of major Indian newspapers and becoming the headlines of most Indian English websites.
"Why is the mainstream media in India so enthusiastic about Sunak's election as British Prime Minister?"
Some Indians expressed their incomprehension on social media, saying that "Sunak is not an Indian" and "this has nothing to do with India".
They believe that although Sunak is of Indian descent, he is a "thorough Englishman" and his style, views, morality and thoughts are "very English".
But Sunak's Indian blood and his self-identification and love for Indian culture, consciously or unconsciously, have also been welcomed by many Indians.
As a Hindu, Sunak claimed not to eat beef all his life, and often put the statue of "Elephant Head God" representing good luck and protection in Hindu mythology on his desk.
After being re-elected as a member of the British House of Commons in 20 17, he took the oath according to the Hindu classic Bhagavad gita.
In 2020, after becoming the first Indian Finance Minister in Britain, Sunak lit candles at the Finance Minister's residence at Downing Street 1 1 to celebrate Diwali.
In April this year, Sunak was controversial because his wife did not become a British citizen and used it as a means of tax avoidance. At that time, he explained to the British media: "My wife loves India and she will eventually go back there to take care of her parents." This reply obviously attracted a wave of goodwill among the Indian people.
In the battle for the leader of the Conservative Party in August, Sunak affirmed the importance of Britain-India relations, saying that he hoped that the relations between the two countries would become more "two-way exchanges". He also said: "Britain can learn a lot from India."
At that time, some Indians thought that if Sunak entered Downing Street, Britain and India could establish closer bilateral relations.
This time, when expecting Sunak's victory, due to the particularity of time, some people were mixed with different emotions.
Rajiv Dogra, a former Indian diplomat, said: "Sunak's becoming prime minister will be a great Diwali gift for Britain, which is one of the reasons why India is worth celebrating."
Some Indian netizens wrote on social media: "When Sunak was a member of parliament, he was sworn according to the Bhagavad-gita. What a great day it will be for India if he repeats the same action after being elected prime minister! This year happens to be the 75th anniversary of our independence from Britain. "
In fact, Sunak is not the first Indian national leader to go abroad. American Vice President Harris and Portuguese Prime Minister Costa all have Indian backgrounds. When they were elected, they also aroused the pride and joy that Indians could not hide.
Some media advised the Indian people to calm down. After all, these foreign politicians in India have left India. In any sense, they are not Indians now.
There are also netizens with African heads reminding on Twitter not to expect what Sunak will do for India, but to see what Africans get from Obama.
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As for China, before the general election, Sunak always advocated the development of a "mature and balanced relationship" with China, and repeatedly expressed the hope to promote the resumption of the Sino-British economic dialogue.
However, in the "big dye vat" where British politics as a whole showed its strength to China, Sunak did not change his rhetoric unexpectedly.
During the general election debate, he declared that on his first day as prime minister, he would "prevent China from taking over British universities, close all Confucius Institutes, and order MI5 to protect domestic enterprises and government agencies from the threat of cyber hackers in China".
Sunak also put on China two "hats" that some conservative politicians often talk about: "In Britain, China is stealing our technology and infiltrating into our universities; Internationally, they supported Putin's fascist invasion of Ukraine by buying oil. "
Sunak also promised to cooperate with US President Biden and other allied leaders to "change the West's ability to deal with the threat of China".
Gao Jian believes that if the British Conservative Party, including British political circles, indulge in the Cold War mentality and zero-sum game, there will be a greater crisis in Britain's domestic and foreign affairs in the future.
To give a simple example, now that the central government is in such a mess, what about Scotland's "independence referendum" next year? Scotland has indicated that it will hold a second "referendum on independence" in 2023, regardless of whether the central government agrees or not.
The historical and cultural background of this referendum is completely different from the last one. Before Britain did not leave the European Union, Scotland, as a part of Britain, was an underdeveloped region and enjoyed the welfare treatment of the European Union. The choice of the first "referendum" is not independent and has practical interests. Now Britain has "Britain leaves the EU", which is a structural change. What will happen to Britain once Scotland is divided?
Gao Jian said that after Britain left the European Union, the British political system was very bad in dealing with social crisis. To what extent can Sunak save the crisis after taking over? "I am personally pessimistic." So far, the party struggle and internal contradictions of the British Conservative Party have not shown signs of easing.
They only have two years left, unless they dissolve the parliament ahead of time and declare a general election. But they don't have the courage, because in the latest opinion polls, the Labour Party is ahead of the Conservative Party.
Labour took the lead, not because none of them could save the situation in Britain, but because the Conservative Party really let the British people down.
It remains to be seen whether the Labour Party will learn from the bitter experience and come up with a constructive plan in the future.
The picture comes from the internet.