The National Security Adviser Sir Stephen Lovegrove has been asked to examine the sale of the 海角视频's biggest microchip manufacturer to a Chinese-owned firm.
Boris Johnson said the 海角视频 Government was looking at Newport Wafer Fab鈥檚 purchase by Nexperia as he faced questions over China鈥檚 activities.
Nexperia is based in the Netherlands but Chinese firm Wingtech Technology earlier this week completed a 拢56m acquisition of the plant in Newport in a move safeguarding 470 jobs with plans for fresh investment.
Now the Prime Minister said he had asked Sir Stephen to examine the issues around the takeover of the high-tech Welsh firm.
鈥淲e are looking into it. I have asked the National Security Adviser to review,鈥 said.
Facing questions about the issue at the Liaison Committee, Mr Johnson said: 鈥淭here is this company in Newport, we have to judge whether the stuff that they are making is of real intellectual property value and interest to China, whether there are real security implications, I have asked the National Security Adviser to look at it.鈥
But Mr Johnson stressed that he did not want an 鈥渁nti-China spirit鈥 to 鈥渓ead to us trying to pitchfork away every investment from China into this country鈥.
Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat told Mr Johnson: 鈥淲e are seeing a Chinese state-backed entity buying a semiconductor manufacturer at a time of global shortage when Beijing is already looking to stockpile semiconductors.
鈥淚f China think this is a matter of their national security and essential to their sovereignty, if Italy, if Brussels, if the United States, if other countries and other entities agree, why don鈥檛 you?鈥
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The Prime Minister told him: 鈥淚 think semiconductors are of huge importance to this country.鈥
Mr Johnson said the Welsh Government had asked the 海角视频 Government to 鈥渄eal with it鈥, a claim which Mark Drakeford鈥檚 administration denied.
鈥淭he Welsh Government has not made a request to the 海角视频 Government to review the takeover of Newport Wafer Fab,鈥 a spokesman said.
Issues around Chinese ownership of firms are a matter for the 海角视频 Government rather than the devolved administration.
