UK MPs accuse the government of ‘making up’ its China policy and call for ‘red zones’ closed to Chinese trade, including connected tech in critical infrastructure

A House of Commons committee accused the British government on Monday, November 2, of making up its China policy “as it goes along”, and called for clearly defined “red zones” of the economy closed to Chinese trade and investment, including connected technology used in critical national infrastructure.

The 102-page report by the committee chaired by Liam Byrne MP says the government has failed to deliver the “new, strategic, long-term, coherent” approach to China it promised in 2024, describing its record as reactive, inconsistent and opaque, and accusing it of prioritising “diplomatic politeness” over national security, according to The Irish News.

“Businesses cannot plan for the future” while the government keeps improvising its China policy, Byrne said, adding that Britain must define its own relationship with Beijing or risk having it shaped “in Washington or Beijing.”

Connected vehicles and ‘kill switch’ fears

Citing The Times, Infobae reported that the committee wants Chinese technology removed from critical infrastructure over the risk that Beijing could disable vehicles remotely or access sensitive data. The MPs recommend gradually replacing connected equipment made in countries considered high-risk, starting with government, defence and emergency-service vehicles, and reporting progress to Parliament within a year.

The report points to cellular internet-of-things modules, a market in which Chinese manufacturers reportedly hold up to 79% globally, and to a Norwegian investigation into a Yutong bus that found remote access to its battery and motor systems was possible. The committee noted that Yutong buses sold in the UK cannot receive over-the-air software updates, and that ministers had concluded their software security met government requirements. It also urged ministers to work with telecom companies to monitor the data connected vehicles send to foreign manufacturers.

Red zones and green zones

• Red zones: strategic capabilities kept under sovereign control and off-limits to Chinese trade and investment.
• Green zones: areas where trade is encouraged, with targeted support for smaller businesses such as market access and export financing.
• Conditional engagement elsewhere, subject to risk mitigation, plus a tariff regime ready if China does not offer reciprocal market access, and a ban on imports made with forced labour.

The MPs cited the last-minute blocking of Ming Yang’s planned £1.5 billion wind-turbine factory in Scotland and the removal of British Steel from Chinese ownership as examples of reactive decision-making. They also noted that a government audit of UK-China relations was completed in June 2025 but never published.

Government response

The government rejected the committee’s conclusions and defended its strategy as consistent, saying it would cooperate with China where it can and challenge it where it must, according to Infobae’s account. It has previously rejected the idea of a register of “threat countries”. No response from the Chinese government had been reported at the time of publication.

Sources

• The Irish News (PA) – Government is ‘making up China policy as it goes’, MPs warn (Nov 2, 2026)
• Infobae – British committee calls for ban on Chinese technology in critical infrastructure (Nov 2, 2026)

Featured image: Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London, photographed by Aswin Mahesh on Unsplash (Unsplash License). Illustrative image.

Evely Vélez · Technology · Virtual editorial byline
Editorial direction: Leonidas Ferraz · November 2, 2026 · AI-assisted writing