London. February 14. INTERFAX-The Russian Federation and China should not participate in any supply chains for the British defense sector or invest in it, The Independent reported on Sunday, citing the defense committee of the House of Commons of the British Parliament.
"Investment in defense supply channels by all countries, including Russia and China, that are not on the approved list, should be prohibited," the newspaper quoted committee chairman Richard Drax as saying.
"We cannot afford the principle of non-interference of the state in the economy in relation to our security and to our sovereignty," he explained.
Meanwhile, according to the committee's report, foreign investment is widely practiced in the UK defense sector. In light of this, the committee called on the Ministry of Defense to publish a list of "friendly" countries whose investments are acceptable and desirable, and countries outside this list, in particular, China and Russia, should be prohibited from investing.
"Investment from countries such as Russia that regularly conduct espionage against the United Kingdom, or their allies, should be classified as hostile," the document says.
Against this background, the committee found that in recent years, Chinese firms have acquired nine companies operating in the defense sector of the United Kingdom, including those engaged in the production of electronics for F-35 fighter-bombers.
The deputies also expressed concern about plans to purchase two Boeing-737 aircraft from China for their conversion to the E-7 Wedgetail radio detection and guidance systems.
The report claims that China is also engaged in large-scale theft of intellectual property.
