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Hello and welcome to Spectator Out Loud. Every week, a few of our favourite writers read out their pieces for you in the latest issue.

This week, we're going to be joined by the China expert Ian Williams, who's written about the influence of Chinese technology on the UK, who reflects on the nature of grief,

and finally, a review by Deborah Ross of the Oscar-nominated film,

Promising Young Woman.

First, it's Ian Williams.

The government's decision to water down new foreign investment rules designed to protect national security

cast serious doubt about its resolve to keep

China out of the most sensitive parts of the British economy. Raising the threshold above which an

overseas stake must be examined from 15% to 25% will sharply reduce the number of deals facing scrutiny.

The amendment to the National Security and Investment Bill,

now wending its way through Parliament,

was presented by Business Secretary Quasi Qwahtung

as necessary to show Britain is still open for business.

It follows intense lobbying by the Confederation of British Industry,

which fears the new rules will deprive industry of investment,

just as it is emerging battered and bruised from the COVID pandemic.

Look no further than the 2008 financial crash to see where this can lead.

In the wake of that meltdown, desperate and wobbly Western

companies turned to China for salvation. Beijing obliged with cynical precision, opaque,

stake-backed entities snapped up tech and infrastructure firms across Europe, driven by the Chinese

...