Confucius Institutes at universities across England are under threat from new free speech rules, setting off urgent talks between ministers, vice-chancellors and regulators over the fate of the China-backed language and culture centres. Universities fear that the new regulations imposed by the Office for Students (OfS) this month will cause legal headaches with their Chinese partners, including the government in Beijing, and could lead to some being closed. University leaders claim they have been left in the dark by England’s regulator over whether or not they are breaking the new…
Tag: UK news
Hong Kong democracy campaigner accuses UK police of asking her to ‘self-censor’
A former Hong Kong politician and prominent democracy campaigner has accused British police of asking her to “self-censor” and “retreat from public life” after officers asked her to agree to avoid public gatherings. The request, outlined in a signed “memorandum of understanding” seen by the Guardian, has alarmed exiled dissidents who fear it may embolden attempts to silence criticism of Chinese and Hong Kong officials worldwide. Carmen Lau, who moved to the UK in 2021, was asked to sign the formal agreement in March by Thames Valley police after her…
The rapid rise of Luckin coffee: is this the end of the Starbucks supremacy?
Name: Luckin. Age: Seven – it was founded in October 2017. Appearance: 20,000 locations and counting. Locations doing what? Serving coffee. It’s a giant coffee chain. Oh yeah? If it’s so giant, how come I’ve never heard of it? Because it started in China. Isn’t China better known for tea? Yes, but they have drunk a lot more coffee since Starbucks opened its first outlets there in 1999. Luckin overtook Starbucks as China’s biggest coffee chain in 2023. If Chinese people want Chinese coffee, so be it. It’s a big…
HSBC boss says Rachel Reeves putting up bank taxes would harm UK growth
The boss of HSBC has joined a growing chorus of bankers cautioning Rachel Reeves against increasing taxes on banks in her autumn budget, warning it risked “eroding” investment and ultimately harming UK growth. Georges Elhedery, its chief executive, said banks in the UK were already subject to the highest level of taxes on profits compared with other sectors, and paid more than in most other countries. He said placing further financial pressures on lenders could spell trouble for the UK economy. “Additional taxation on banks does run the risk of…
As Trump’s tariff regime becomes clear, Americans may start to foot the bill
Burying the hatchet with Brussels, Donald Trump – flanked by the leader of the European Commission – hailed a bold new era of transatlantic relations, an ambitious economic pact, and declared: “This was a very big day for free and fair trade.” That was seven years ago. And then on Sunday, the US president – flanked by a different leader of the European Commission – hailed another new era of transatlantic relations, another economic pact and declared: “I think it’s the biggest deal ever made.” Trumpian hyperbole can typically be…
Five key takeaways from Macron’s speech to UK parliament
Emmanuel Macron, making the state visit by a European head of state to the UK since Brexit, has addressed MPs and peers in the Royal Gallery in parliament. Here are five standout moments from his speech 1. A mild dig at Brexit Nine years on from the referendum, and coded laments about Brexit are more palatable. The French president said that while the UK was no longer in the EU, it “cannot stay on the sidelines because defence and security, competitiveness, democracy – the very core of our identity –…
Former UK civil service chief calls Xi Jinping a ‘dictator’ over plans to reunify Taiwan
The former head of the UK’s civil service has described the Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a “dictator” and said Donald Trump had put “helpful pressure” on Europe to increase defence spending. Simon Case, who served as the cabinet secretary until December, when he stepped down on health grounds, said China had sent a clear message to “prepare for serious conflict” in Taiwan. The UK has committed to spend the equivalent of 2.6% of GDP in 2027, and it and other Nato members have signed up to increasing spending to…
Lotus plans to end UK sportscar production, putting 1,300 jobs at risk
Lotus is planning to end production of its sportscars in the UK and shift it to the US, a move that would put 1,300 jobs at risk and represent a major blow to the British car industry. The carmaker’s Chinese owner, Geely, is looking at options including manufacturing its Emira sportscar in the US, and permanently stopping production at its factory in Hethel, Norfolk, according to a person with knowledge of the company’s thinking. No final decision has been made. Workers at the factory, in a former second world war…
Chinese exports to UK rise as firms seek to avoid US tariffs
Chinese exports to the UK jumped in May, according to data from Beijing, raising the prospect of a flood of cut-price goods as firms look for alternative markets to avoid Donald Trump’s tariffs. Data published by the Chinese government showed a 16.1% increase in exports to the UK in May compared with the same month last year, hitting the highest level since February 2022. That could be an early signal of an acceleration from the 10% annual rate of increase in April in the UK data published by the Office…
Chinese carmaker Chery Auto ‘actively considering’ building UK factory
The Chinese carmaker Chery Auto is considering building its second European factory in Britain. After launching two brands, Omoda and Jaecoo, in the UK in September, Chery’s UK director, Victor Zhang, said the company is making inroads in the British market with the appetite growing for Chinese cars. He was speaking at the annual conference of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, where the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, admitted that there was “still a lot of work” to do in negotiating away all of Donald Trump’s tariffs against the…