China warns UK over British Steel nationalisation, demands fair resolution

Chinese company Jingye is seeking compensation after the UK’s move to fully nationalise loss-making British Steel.China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it will closely monitor the United Kingdom’s nationalisation of British Steel, previously owned by a Chinese steelmaker.The UK government nationalised British Steel on Thursday, fully taking over the loss-making company, then under the ownership of Jingye, on national security grounds.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What military capabilities does Iran possess as it negotiates with US?list 2 of 3Why has Trump refused to renew the USMCA, and what will that mean?list 3 of 3US heatwave raises alarms over AI data centre energy demandsend of list“The issue has drawn widespread attention in China,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.“How Britain handles the matter will directly affect Chinese investors’ confidence in the UK’s investment climate and shape public perceptions in China of the British government’s credibility,” it said.The Chinese ministry also urged Britain to seek a mutually acceptable solution, including arrangements for compensation.Jingye Steel said last week it wants Britain to compensate it for losses incurred through its investment in British Steel.British Steel is the only source of primary steelmaking in the UK. It supports approximately 2,700 jobs across its main steelworks in Scunthorpe and thousands more across the wider supply chain.Jingye – which is among the 100 biggest companies in China – bought British Steel for 70 million pounds ($94m) in 2020. By 2025, Jingye said it was losing 700,000 pounds ($942,000) every day.British Steel’s nationalisation has been in the works for more than a year. In March 2025, Jingye carried out a consultation that concluded that the British Steel furnaces were not financially sustainable.The following month, it emerged that Jingye had cancelled orders for a key material used in the steelmaking process, stoking fears that it was planning to shut down the blast furnaces.