Britain said it would double funding for building Chinese expertise across the government in response to growing concern about China’s security challenge and concerns about Taiwan.
British Foreign Minister James Cleverly wants to improve the UK’s Mandarin language skills and announced that additional funding will be provided to the “China Capabilities Programme,” which operates across government departments.
“This additional resource will help boost knowledge and language skills across government in the face of the systemic challenge that China poses to the UK’s security, prosperity, and values,” he said in a statement released on Monday ahead of the release of Britain’s latest defense and security plans.
Britain said the Chinese Communist Party has become a growing source of concern in the last two years, with concerns centered on military activity in Taiwan and China’s sanctioning of British lawmakers.