It’s not just British Steel. Here’s where the UK is hooked on China.

By Mason Boycott-Owen, Charlie Cooper, Abby Wallace, Nicholas Earl | 04/16/2025 06:54 AM EDT

Britain took back control of the steelmaker from a Chinese firm. But don’t expect a massive rethink of the China-addicted U.K. economy.

An aerial general view of the British Steel Scunthorpe site in Scunthorpe, England.

British Steel’s case is a dramatic one — but it's far from unique. Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images

LONDON — Keir Starmer is standing up to Chinese economic might — at least for now.

The British prime minister’s government dramatically took back control of the U.K.’s last virgin steel-producing plant from its Chinese owners this past weekend.

After weeks of talks, Parliament passed emergency legislation to wrestle the British Steel Scunthorpe site back from Jingye, with officials then racing to keep its crucial furnaces running after claims of neglect by the ousted owners.

It’s just one example of the ways the Asian giant has become deeply embedded in the British economy in recent years.

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