Revealed: UK exporting military equipment to China despite arms embargo
Last year, the UK authorized the sale of £25.6bn worth of military equipment and equipment with potential military use to China, making it the UK's largest destination for military-related exports in 2023 despite an arms embargo imposed in May 2022. The embargo restricts sales of complete weapons systems and lethal components, but the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) stated that these restrictions do not apply to the equipment sold. This included ballistic test equipment, technology for weapon night sights, and civilian equipment with potential military applications such as uranium-233 and technology for nuclear reactors.
The approval of these sales has raised significant concerns, especially given China's record of cyberattacks and human rights abuses. Liberal Democrats' foreign affairs spokesperson, Layla Moran, criticized the government for not taking a firmer stance on China and for failing to declare China as a threat. Additionally, the DBT figures revealed that the UK authorized the sale of military equipment to other countries under arms embargoes, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Somalia, and Russia. Critics, including Dr. Samuel Perlo-Freeman from Campaign Against Arms Trade, have called for greater transparency and accountability regarding these licenses, especially in light of China's expanding nuclear arsenal and its oppressive surveillance practices.