China spy row reveals a divided Whitehall October 7, 2025 The UK’s relationship with China has swung through various degrees of warmth in recent years, but there have been some recurring themes. When David Cameron and George Osborne hailed the “golden era” of UK-China relations more than a decade ago, critics accused the pair of naivety and even recklessness. Nick Timothy, who would go on [...]
China spying case collapse leads to ‘interference’ accusations October 6, 2025 Senior officials have pointed fingers at the Labour government over the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service to drop the espionage case against two men accused of spying for China. Senior UK government figures told the Financial Times that the government fatally undermined the Chinese spying case in order to protect the UK’s commercial and [...]
Home Secretary denies ministerial interference amid dropped Chinese spy case October 5, 2025 Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said she was “very disappointed” about the collapse of a major Chinese spying case but denied there was any ministerial interference. The case against Christoper Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, was due to start at Woolwich crown count on Monday, but was dropped on 15 September, a move [...]
Knives are out in Whitehall after Chinese espionage case collapsed September 17, 2025 Whitehall is seething with anger following the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) decision to drop its espionage case against two men accused of spying for China. Christopher Cash (30), a former parliamentary researcher and director of the China Research Group, and Christopher Berry (33), a former English teacher in China, were charged last year with providing [...]
Exclusive: Nvidia boss tells China ‘We won’t operate where we’re not wanted’ September 17, 2025 Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang said he was “disappointed” with China’s internet regulator banning the country’s largest tech firms from buying Nvidia’s AI chips. The quasi-celebrity, leather jacket-wearing billionaire told City AM: “We could only be in service of a market if the country wants us to”. His response follows the Cyberspace Administration of China [...]
Trump’s UK state visit sparks tech investment buzz, but how realistic are the gains? September 16, 2025 US president Donald Trump will arrive in the UK on Tuesday evening for a state visit, bringing with him a wave of attention on transatlantic tech investment. The two-day trip, marked by royal pageantry at Windsor Castle and private talks at Chequers with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, coincides with announcements already made of nearly $10bn [...]
Chinese retail giant in talks to buy Argos September 13, 2025 UK supermarket group Sainsbury’s has confirmed that it is in discussions for a potential sale of struggling retail chain Argos to a leading Chinese e-commerce giant. Retailer JD.com is looking to buy Argos, as it seeks to position itself in the UK market. The bid comes following JD.com’s failure to purchase electrical retailer Currys last [...]
My favourite Nasdaq-listed, Chinese-owned, Cayman-incorporated Scottish castle August 22, 2025 A question: what’s the fastest-growing hotel group in Britain? You might opt for Premier Inn, the Whitbred-owned budget chain that’s set to open more than 1,000 new rooms this year. A wildcard choice might be Yotel, the group set up by Yo! Sushi man Simon Woodroffe that’s ballooned from a single site in 2007 to two dozen [...]
Nvidia and AMD to pay US 15 per cent cut on China chip sales August 11, 2025 US chipmakers Nvidia and AMD have agreed to hand over 15 per cent of their Chinese revenues to Washington in exchange for the green light to resume sales of high-powered AI chips to the country, in what industry analysts have called an “unprecedented” arrangement. The deal, first reported by the Financial Times, applies to Nvidia’s [...]
Huawei issues UK sales warning as restrictions hit hard August 7, 2025 The UK arm of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei has issued a warning over its future sales as restrictions on its activities continue to have a major impact. The Reading-headquartered business has said its turnover in 2025 will continue on the downward trajectory it has been on since 2019 but that the company will remain profitable. [...]