London and Beijing forge a green path

Xi invites foreign CEOs to invest in the PRC; Dutch parliament tackles diaspora espionage

Observing China is the essential newsletter to understand the UK-PRC relationship, explained in the context of global developments.

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This week, Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, became the second high-level minister of His Majesty’s (HM) Government to visit the People’s Republic of China (PRC) this year, after Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Miliband signed a Clean Energy Partnership Memorandum of Understanding with his Chinese counterparts, which agrees to ‘enhance cooperation on renewables, grid modernisation and clean technologies, while protecting the UK’s national security.’

Kemi Badenoch, Leader of the Conservative Party, responded by shooting down the notion that the United Kingdom (UK) can achieve its target of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, stating that in the meantime, the race towards what she believes to be an unachievable goal will make the UK ‘dangerously’ dependent on the PRC for supply of green energy products.

Meanwhile, the PRC has, for the first time, deployed purpose-built ‘landing barges’ in its latest round of military drills around Taiwan – these barges are believed to be developed for a forcible annexation of the island.

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