The Chinese embassy in the UK lambasted “anti-Chinese rhetoric” of some British politicians, who criticised Beijing after a Chinese group said it would shut down the UK’s last two steel furnaces.
The UK has swooped in to prevent the closure of British Steel’s main plant in Scunthorpe, northeast England, after its Chinese owner Jingye said late March it was no longer financially viable to keep the furnaces burning.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government saw the closure of Scunthorpe as a threat to Britain’s long-term economic security, given the decline of Britain’s once-robust steel industry and the potential loss of some 2,700 jobs.
“The anti-China rhetoric of some individual British politicians is extremely absurd, reflecting their arrogance, ignorance and twisted mindset,” an unnamed Chinese embassy spokesperson said in a note published on the embassy’s website Wednesday.
“At a time when the US is wielding the tariff stick against all countries, the UK included, and engaging in unilateral and protectionist trade bullying, those British politicians just keep slandering the Chinese government and Chinese enterprises instead of criticising the United States. What on earth are they up to?” the post read.
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Jingye bought British Steel in 2020 and announced a few weeks ago its intention to shut down the two steel furnaces.
It said it invested more than £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) to maintain operations, but that it was losing around £700,000 per day.
After unsuccessful negotiations, the British government passed emergency legislation in Parliament on Saturday, forcing British Steel to continue operating or face sanctions.
UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said that his country had been “far too naive” to allow Chinese companies to run sensitive infrastructure.
He took aim at the Conservative government of ex-prime minister Boris Johnson that was in power when Jingye purchased British Steel in 2020.
Some opposition British MPs have accused Beijing of interference.
Christopher Chope of the main opposition Conservative party accused Jingye of “industrial sabotage”.
On Monday, China had called on Britain to refrain from “politicising” the issue, warning it risked hurting the confidence of Chinese firms in the UK.
A nationalisation of the plant is unlikely and the UK government’s main objective now is to find a private partner.
Chinese companies and funds have stakes in a number of British businesses, including water, energy and London’s Heathrow airport.
Reynolds said the UK needed to be clear about which sectors could benefit from cooperation, and which couldn’t.
Starmer’s administration has been working for months to improve relations with Beijing, with several ministers recently visiting China in the hope of boosting economic growth.
