China Rebukes Britain Over Nationalization of Last Working Steelworks

UK government appropriated British Steel amid fears its Chinese owners would shut it down

China lodged a protest with the United Kingdom after the British government nationalized British Steel, the country's last working steelworks, according to Al Jazeera and the BBC. The UK took control of the company amid concerns that its former Chinese owners intended to close the plant.

The British government defended the move, saying taking the firm into public hands was necessary to safeguard what it called "a vital national capability," the BBC reported.

The dispute adds friction to the UK's relationship with Beijing at a moment when Western governments are increasingly scrutinizing Chinese ownership of strategic industries. British Steel's previous Chinese owners had been expected to wind down operations, a prospect that alarmed officials worried about the loss of the country's domestic steelmaking capacity.

The nationalization marks one of the more significant interventions by the UK government into private industry in recent years, reflecting broader anxieties in Europe about foreign control of critical infrastructure and manufacturing.

— Compiled from reporting by Al Jazeera and the BBC.