Prime minister writes to president and premier after her delaying of Hinkley Point C approval caused dismay in Beijing

Theresa May has written a letter delivered by hand to the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and the country’s premier, Li Keqiang, promising closer business and trade ties between the two countries.

The move comes after Beijing expressed disquiet about a decision to delay approval of the proposed £18bn Hinkley Point C nuclear power station over concerns about Chinese investment in the project.

Chinese officials said May’s letter, which was delivered by the UK’s Asia minister, Alok Sharma, states that she “looks forward to strengthening cooperation with China on trade and business and on global issues”.

A Downing Street source confirmed the letter had been sent but said the private correspondence would not be released. They did, however, say: “It is about reassuring the Chinese of our commitment to Anglo-Chinese relations.”

A Whitehall source said it was not unusual for a minister to deliver a letter by hand, and that the move was part of setting out Britain’s vision as an outward-looking country in the wake of the Brexit vote.

Energy specialists raise concerns about Chinese Hinkley involvement Read more

May’s team has sought to downplay the controversy surrounding the surprise decision to delay approval of the Hinkley Point project, which is funded by the French company EDF and China General Nuclear Power. It says the new prime minister simply needs time to assess a complicated deal that had taken years to reach.

May and Greg Clark, the business secretary, have both tried to reassure France and China, after questions were raised over comments made last year by the prime minister’s joint chief of staff, Nick Timothy, in which he criticised the project and said the government was “selling our national security to China”.

Timothy wrote on the ConservativeHome website in October 2015 that it was baffling that the government would allow Chinese state firms to invest in sensitive infrastructure and that “rational concerns about national security are being swept to one side because of the desperate desire for Chinese trade and investment”.

Sharma’s trip will be seen as part of an effort to reach out to China. He met Beijing’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, for discussions that the government said were about “the UK and China’s global strategic partnership as two world powers working together to solve global issues, build economies of the future and develop our strong trade, investment and people to people links”.

Officials said he was likely to discuss Hinkley. He is also meeting clean energy experts as part of the trip, and will discuss e-buses and electric taxis in London and across Europe.

Sharma said: “The UK’s relationship with China is strong, growing and delivering benefits for both our countries. As permanent members of the UN security council, we are working together to tackle global issues of the 21st century.”



