China condemns nationalization of British Steel
Britain took control of British Steel to secure its last capacity for crude-steel production. China's Ministry of Commerce sharply condemned the nationalization and threatened measures to protect Chinese companies. The previous owner was the Chinese Jingye group.
The British government justifies the move, according to the BBC, as protecting a vital national capability, after concerns arose that the former Chinese owner might close the plant in Scunthorpe. Al Jazeera stresses that Britain is thereby taking its last functioning steelworks into public hands. From the Chinese side the case looks different: the Global Times cites the Ministry of Commerce, MOFCOM, which condemns the nationalization and announces robust measures to protect the interests of Chinese firms. The dispute links industrial policy with geopolitics, as London seeks to save a strategic raw-materials industry from being wound down while also curbing Chinese influence over critical infrastructure. Restarting mothballed blast furnaces would be all but technically irreversible, which is why the government acted under time pressure.