UK is Biggest Recipient of Chinese Cash in Europe for 20 Years

Britain has received more Chinese cash than any other country in Europe over the past two decades, a major study has found, Hans van Leeuwen reported for The Telegraph.

More recently, the UK was the fifth most popular market for Chinese investors. (Photo: Simon Dawson, No 10 Downing Street Flickr)

China’s state-owned lenders and investors ploughed $60 billion (£45 billion) into the UK between 2000 and 2023, well ahead of other top European destinations like Switzerland ($41 billion) and Germany ($33 billion), think tank AidData revealed.

Over the period, only the US, Russia, Australia, Pakistan, Venezuela, Angola, Kazakhstan, Brazil, and Indonesia surpassed Britain.

More recently, the UK was the fifth most popular market for Chinese investors, behind the US, Russia, Australia, and Pakistan, with $22 billion flowing in between 2018 and 2023.

Britain even ranked ahead of European countries that have been official members of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), such as Italy, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Austria.

The report highlights how Britain’s lax investment restrictions on Chinese state money over the past two decades led to an influx of cash into major projects. Since the UK introduced an investment-screening regime in early 2022, Chinese investment has plunged, AidData found.