Amid reports of Chinese spies in Westminster, we learn that Huawei – the telecoms manufacturer western governments shun for fear of cyber espionage – has launched a smartphone containing microchips more advanced than anything China was previously thought capable of making. Some analysts say China is now ahead of the US in tech fields ranging from AI to robotics, while, in the auto sector, BMW chief executive Oliver Zipse (announcing plans to make electric Minis at Cowley from 2026) described Chinese electric carmakers with improved battery technology as an ‘imminent threat’ to his industry in Europe.
In response, Rishi Sunak – after a brief and no doubt deeply oblique meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit – defended dialogue with Beijing, not least because it had allowed him to express ‘strong concerns’ about the spy story. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch added that without access to Chinese technology: ‘We wouldn’t be able to get to where we want to get to on net zero.’
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