- Prime Minister expected to strike new border security pact on first China visit in eight years to disrupt supply of small boat engines
- More than half of small boat engines used by people smugglers crossing the English Channel are manufactured in China
- Agreement will also scale up removals of those with no right to be in the UK and intensify work with China to crackdown on synthetic opioids
People smuggling gangs will be dealt a further blow with the Prime Minister expected to launch a border security agreement with China to tackle the flow of Chinese made small boat parts.
The new deal, which will be signed following the Prime Minister’s meetings with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing today, will for the first time enable joint UK-Chinese law enforcement action before boats and engines ever reach criminal networks in Europe.
Last year more than 60% of all engines used by smuggling gangs were found to be branded as Chinese manufactured engines. Inflatable dinghies used in small boat crossings, often made using parts sourced in China, have been enabling gangs to pack ever larger numbers onto single vessels, with recent crossings carrying over 100 people in increasingly life-threatening conditions.
Under the agreement, UK law enforcement agencies will work with Chinese authorities to prevent small boat engines and equipment used in Channel crossings getting into the hands of criminal gangs. This includes intelligence sharing to identify smugglers’ supply routes and direct engagement with Chinese manufacturers to prevent legitimate businesses being exploited by organised crime.
The deal reflects the government’s commitment to active, hard-headed engagement with the world’s major powers to deliver for working people at home.
In a further boost to the UK’s border security the two countries agreed to scale up removals of those with no right to be in the UK and intensify a crackdown on Chinese gangs producing synthetic opioids.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said
Organised immigration crime and the business model of the smuggling gangs goes beyond borders and our approach to shut them down must do the same.
This deal will help us cut off the supply of boats at source – stopping crossings before lives are put at risk and restoring control to our borders.
This is Britain back at the top table, delivering real results for the British people through our international relationships.
Rick Jones, Deputy Director at the National Crime Agency, said
Targeting and disrupting the business models of people smuggling gangs is a top priority for the NCA. We work co-operatively and successfully with a range of international law enforcement partners to achieve this and protect people from harm.
This agreement will enable us to work with Chinese law enforcement to tackle those gangs who exploit the most vulnerable, and prevent legitimate companies being drawn into this criminality. We are committed to working with them constructively going forward.
Since coming to office, the government has been spearheading the largest global effort to tackle organised immigration crime ever seen, through closer co-operation of international law enforcement teams.
The deal will also strengthen cooperation on serious and organised crime, driving a crackdown on the production and trafficking of highly potent and dangerous synthetic opioids such as nitazenes, known to be produced in China and exported to the UK – as well as the pre-cursor chemicals used to make them.
These drugs have been responsible for over 750 deaths in the UK, impacting individuals and communities, and closer cooperation will reduce the amount of these lethal drugs entering the country.
Earlier this month the NCA announced that the “number one target” for supplying thousands of boats to Channel crossing people smugglers has been jailed for 11 years in a Belgian court, with co-defendants given sentences totalling 38 years. the arrest and conviction took place through tighter working with international law enforcement partners – this is action we will continue to build on.
The work of our National Crime Agency alongside Home Office Intelligence and international partners has disrupted the supply of maritime equipment to cross-Channel people smuggling gangs with more than 950 boats and engines seized since early 2023.
The government has prevented 40,000 crossing attempts through joint work with France since taking office and has delivered a 33% surge in disruptions to migrant smuggling operations with nearly 4,000 disruptions since July 2024.
The deal builds on international agreements already secured with France, Germany, Iraq and Western Balkan countries.