UK’s ‘incoherent’ approach to China plagued by lack of expertise, report says

The UK's approach to China has been deemed "incoherent" and lacking in senior expertise, according to a report by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac). The audit, published on Wednesday, highlights the risks of misjudging the bilateral relationship with China, a country that is an inherently hostile authoritarian state.

Ipac notes that past engagement with Beijing has often exposed the UK to risks without delivering promised opportunities. The report criticizes the UK for muddled policy and weak engagement, citing the example of a Chinese delegation that found no senior-level government officials in the UK spoke Mandarin or had lived in China. While British expertise exists, it is often fragmented and not converted into capability.

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat endorsed the report, calling it a "clear-eyed and realistic take on the defining foreign policy problem of this century." The report recommends better institutional coordination, the use of national security tools, and diversification of supply chains. Emerging technologies such as AI pose new challenges, particularly in disinformation and surveillance.

The climate crisis is identified as a low-risk area for cooperation and alignment. However, the report emphasizes the need for lived experience in China, arguing that language skills alone are insufficient.