Description
In recent years, an increasing number of countries has begun to consider foreign direct investments (FDI) originating from China as matter of national security. The UK has been no exception; starting from 2017, it has progressively strengthened the government’s ability to discretionally restrict and block the inflow of investments into the country. FDI in se are an inherently economic tool which has only recently assumed security implications. The timing and nature of the securitising process clearly suggests that the growth of China-originated investments played a fundamental role in triggering and shaping the process. However, the reasons behind the securitisation of FDI have received very marginal and limited analysed. Rooted in the theory of securitisation of non-traditional security issues (NTS), this article seeks to explain the reasons behind the recent securitisation of investments in the UK and spell out its relations with the Chinese origin of such investments.
