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Security officials fear that UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband may be overly accommodating towards China due to the country’s importance for Britain's renewable energy supply. The UK imports more than two-thirds of its solar panels from China, raising concerns about national security given Beijing’s involvement in cyber-attacks and industrial espionage. These sources argue that Miliband’s focus on climate change and closer ties with China compromise British security interests.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Ed Miliband, Britain's Energy Secretary at the time, has been criticized by security officials for what they perceive as weakness towards China in matters of national security while pursuing closer ties to support his Net Zero targets. These concerns stem from Britain’s heavy reliance on Chinese imports, particularly solar panels, which account for over two-thirds of the country’s supply. Critics argue that this dependence makes the UK vulnerable to potential technological and cyber threats posed by China. Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove warned about Britain's increasing dependency on Chinese technology, suggesting it could be manipulated against the UK during a crisis. Despite these warnings, Miliband has continued to engage with Chinese officials, including arranging meetings with high-ranking figures like Wang Yi, the foreign minister of China, indicating an ongoing push for bilateral cooperation despite security apprehensions.
Written for “UK China Relations” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Claims extracted
15
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
7%
1 of 15 hedged
Leaning
Leans strongly right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Correction & hedging signals
64.9
corrections and hedging in what we collected;
not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
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Ed Miliband is 'appeasing' China despite the risks it poses to British security because the UK is so reliant on Beijing for the supply of solar panels, security sources have said.
asserted
sources → see → panels
The Foreign Secretary, a zealous advocate of the Net Zero agenda on climate change, is regarded by many senior members of the UK's diplomatic and intelligence community as 'weak' on the security threat posed by China.
asserted
Secretary → regard → China
Despite mounting evidence of Beijing's state-sponsored activities in the UK – including cyber-attacks, spying, political infiltration and industrial espionage – Mr Miliband supports building closer ties with the country.
asserted
Miliband → mount → country
The UK is heavily reliant on solar panels from China, importing more than two thirds of its stock from the country.
asserted
UK → import → country
In his previous job as energy secretary, Mr Miliband pledged to go 'further and faster' on replacing gas and oil with renewable sources such as solar power, by fast-tracking planning approval for solar farms and introducing plug-in equipment for homes.
asserted
Miliband → pledge → homes
A security source said: 'All the noises coming from the Foreign Secretary are about economic appeasement and climate change accords.
asserted
noises → say → appeasement
We don't hear a lot about national security from him.
asserted
We → hear → him
He is compromised by wanting their panels too much.
asserted
He → compromise → panels
We worry about all forms of Chinese technology which can potentially be controlled or detonated remotely.'
The panels have been blamed for a number of high-profile fires over the past year, although there is no evidence that the Chinese were responsible.
Britain's Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Wang Hongzhi, head of China's National Energy Administration, shake hands at a signing ceremony at the China-UK Energy Dialogue in Beijing in March last year
One of Mr Miliband's first moves after he was appointed in the summer was to arrange to meet Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.
asserted
he → worry → Yi
This month, former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove warned that the loss of British manufacturing left the country dangerously reliant on China for critical technology, and said it had the capacity to plunge Britain into chaos by hacking the National Grid.
Sir Richard said: 'Such peacetime dependencies give China strategic leverage, and in a crisis it gives them weapons of mass disruption which could literally bring this country to a standstill.'
Mr Miliband's views on China have compounded tensions with the Trump administration, where officials have dubbed him 'Ed Miliwatt' due to his Net Zero beliefs.
uncertain
officials → warn → beliefs
Tony Blair has urged Labour to rip up Mr Miliband's 'illogical' Net Zero targets in order to focus on securing 'cheap energy' and boost economic growth.
asserted
Blair → urge → growth
The former PM said: 'Xi Jinping [the Chinese president] is not sitting there in Beijing saying: 'I wonder what that Ed Miliband thinks.'
asserted
Miliband → say → what
Britain's emissions are under 1 per cent of global emissions, we can't solve climate change, and to impose costs on our own businesses and consumers in order to accelerate Net Zero when the rest of the world is not doing so – I don't understand the logic.'
asserted
I → solve → logic
Last year, Mr Miliband was forced to change solar supply chains after evidence showed that 40 per cent of polysilicon – a key component in solar panels – comes from China's Xinjiangg region, where widespread use of forced labour has been documented.
asserted
use → force → labour
A spokesman for Mr Miliband did not respond to a request for comment.
asserted
spokesman → respond → comment
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