Investment review powers seen backfiring on UK

Britain's plan to introduce national security legislation that proposes stricter screening of foreign investment could diminish the country's appeal as an open economy and hurt British companies, says a researcher who participated in a parliamentary inquiry into the proposed bill.

He Shaowei, an associate professor at the University of Northampton whose research focuses on the rise of Chinese enterprises and the associated impact on global business, said the move is a "worrying" sign that the United Kingdom is slipping into a protectionism that will hasten the country's declining global influence.

He argued that foreign investors are important elements of the UK's business ecosystem that help drive the country's productivity.