Fox, now on the backbenches, has since fiercely denounced China s oppression of the Muslim Uighurs and democracy campaigners in Hong Kong, and has blamed Chinese secrecy for Britain s Covid death toll.
And Tencent, bigger than Facebook and worth close to $1 trillion, is proving to be a controversial trading partner. This week it swooped on UK video games firm Sumo in a £920million takeover.
But even as it builds up influence throughout universities, businesses, and the fashion and entertainment industries, its purported links to the Chinese intelligence services are steadily emerging.
As the Mail has revealed, CIA sources and the Pentagon have flagged serious concerns, pointing to military investment. Among other stinging criticisms, Donald Trump, in an executive order last year, said WeChat, the firm s social media app, was collecting vast swathes of data, helping the Communist Party keep tabs on Chinese citizens abroad.
The Great haul of China: How Beijing s biggest is infiltrating Britain
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Eddie Redmayne, James Norton and Professor Brian Cox look dapper in Wimbledon Royal Box
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