China firmly opposes the UK's move to exclude Chinese products from its offshore wind projects on the grounds of national security, a spokesperson of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Tuesday after the British government decided to exclude Chinese wind turbine maker Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Co from offshore wind projects in the country.
The UK's decision runs counter to the UK's long-held commitment to an open and free market philosophy, and it is detrimental to the economic development of local communities in the UK and to the improvement of people's well-being, and it will negatively impact practical bilateral economic and trade cooperation, according to the MOFCOM spokesperson.
The remarks came in response to a recent move in the UK, where the Secretary of State for Energy posted a statement on the parliament's website, claiming that the UK government does not support the use of Ming Yang Smart Energy turbines in UK offshore wind projects.
The spokesperson noted that during a visit to China in January, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer explicitly stated that the UK is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields such as trade, investment, finance, and environmental protection, so as to support each other's economic growth and bring benefits to the people of both countries.
The MOFCOM spokesperson urged the UK government to provide a fair, just, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies, earnestly promote pragmatic cooperation in the economic and trade fields between China and the UK, and promote the healthy development of bilateral relations.
Michael Shanks, the UK Minister of State for Energy, said on the parliament's website in late March that I am setting out the Government position on the supply of offshore wind turbines from Ming Yang, a Chinese turbine supplier. This has followed offshore wind developers seeking the Government's view on the use of Ming Yang Smart Energy turbines in British waters and in our energy system.
He added that we cannot support the use of them in UK offshore wind projects, claiming that We will always act to protect our national security.
According to the BBC, Scotland's Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said that national security was important and must be respected. But she added that it was regrettable the UK government had not explained precisely what the problem was with Ming Yang.
In a statement Ming Yang shared with the Global Times on Tuesday, it said that the UK government's decision means that Britain has missed a key opportunity to enhance competition in the global wind turbine market amid tight global capacity constraints, further drive down wind power costs, and attract substantial wind energy industry investment to the UK.
Ming Yang said that it has been engaging in communication and coordination with the UK government for more than two years. Based on earlier discussions with UK government officials, it specifically addressed the core national security concern regarding data and network security by developing a comprehensive set of technical and commercial solutions.
The company urged the UK government to formally specify any remaining national security concerns and the associated compliance requirements, according to the statement.
The UK's move reflects the contradictory mindset that commonly exists in Western countries' policies toward China: on the one hand, they wish to strengthen pragmatic cooperation with China; on the other hand, some politicize bilateral economic and trade relations from a national security perspective, Jian Junbo, director of the Center for China-Europe Relations at Fudan University's Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
However, the UK government's latest move was inconsistent with the positive atmosphere and cooperative intentions of China-UK economic and trade cooperation following Starmer's visit to China, he said.
Jian urged the UK side to avoid abusing a national security perspective when viewing normal economic and trade cooperation, and to prevent the overstretching of the concept of national security regarding routine commercial activities, as Chinese companies have long made positive contributions to local economic development, job creation, and the green transition in Europe, including the UK.
During a press conference on March 26, Lin Jian, a spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry, said that China-UK economic, trade and green cooperation is in nature mutually beneficial. Such cooperation should not be viewed as political and security issues.
