U.K. Diplomacy Faces Chronic Shortage of China Experts After Exodus

The departure of several senior diplomats has left the U.K. short of officials with firsthand experience of China, according to current and former officials who say the gap is complicating decisions on trade, technology and security.

Among those who left the Foreign Office were Dan Chugg, who led its China policy, and Kate White, who held the same role from 2017 to 2021.

Joanna Roper, a former head of the department’s China team, and Owen Jenkins, who oversaw the Indo-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, also departed.

One senior Whitehall figure told the Financial Times that permanent secretaries and directors-general across government lacked experience living and working in China.

People familiar with the matter also cited concern about Chinese-language proficiency at the Foreign Office and the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.

The Foreign Office disputed the assessment, saying the government had extensive China experience at senior levels.

Trade and Security Decisions

Current and former officials pointed to a series of decisions that have tested Whitehall’s capacity.

The U.K. took control of British Steel from its Chinese owner, blocked a Chinese company from investing in a Scottish wind power project and granted planning permission for a new Chinese embassy.

The government is also under pressure to align with the European Union’s trade measures against Beijing, including tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles.

A House of Commons committee described the U.K.’s approach to China policy as marked by “reactivity, inconsistency and opacity.”

Liam Byrne, the committee chair, said Britain needed to bring together its policies on economic security, AI and trade as it navigated relations with the U.S., the EU and China.

“We’re losing insight, experience and capacity to act,” Byrne said.

Training and Retention

Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies, said the Foreign Office was already struggling to meet demand for China expertise at senior levels before Chugg and White left.

Reported reasons for the departures include cost cuts that required senior staff to reapply for their jobs, government salaries that failed to keep pace with inflation and the prospect of higher private-sector pay.

The Foreign Office has organized about a dozen full-day sessions run by the research and education group U.K.-China Transparency for diplomats and civil servants.

The department said it was investing up to £5 million this financial year to expand China expertise across government and key sectors, alongside separate spending on language skills.