UK's May worried by China investment, intervened to delay Hinkley
Source: Reuters
British Prime Minister Theresa May was concerned about the security implications of a planned Chinese investment in the new Hinkley Point nuclear plant and intervened personally to delay the project, a former colleague and a source said on Saturday.
The plan by France's EDF to build two reactors with financial backing from a Chinese state-owned company was championed by May's predecessor David Cameron as a sign of Britain's openness to foreign investment.
But just hours before a signing ceremony was due to take place on Friday, May's new government said it would review the project again, raising concerns that Britain's approach to infrastructure deals, energy supply and foreign investment may be changing.
The decision could prove a test for May, with any attempt to renegotiate the terms of the project potentially straining relations with Paris and Beijing at a time when Britain is seeking to build trade deals following the country's vote to leave the European Union.
"When we were in government Theresa May was quite clear she was unhappy about the rather gung-ho approach to Chinese investment that we had," Vince Cable, Britain's former business secretary, told BBC Radio.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-edf-britain-nuclear-idUSKCN10A0HT
