Britain is set to share intelligence with China for the first time in an effort to prevent Chinese engines and small boats from being used to smuggle migrants across the English Channel, Times UK reports. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to formalise a law enforcement agreement with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang during his visit to Beijing, signalling a new phase of cooperation to tackle cross-border organised crime.
The initiative comes after authorities found that more than 60 percent of all engines used by people-smuggling gangs last year were manufactured in China. The National Crime Agency (NCA) noted that these are generally low-cost outboard motors that propel makeshift and unsafe dinghies, often putting migrants at extreme risk. Under the agreement, the NCA and Border Force will share intelligence with Chinese authorities about smugglers’ supply routes, allowing Chinese officials to intercept the equipment before it leaves the country.
The deal will also allow direct engagement with manufacturers in China to prevent legitimate businesses from being exploited by criminal networks. In addition to tackling migrant smuggling, the agreement will increase cooperation on the removal of Chinese nationals without legal status in the UK and target the production and trafficking of synthetic opioids, including dangerous compounds such as nitazenes, which are manufactured in China and trafficked to the UK.
Downing Street and the NCA emphasised that the agreement reflects a commitment to “active, hard-headed engagement with the world’s major powers” to dismantle people-smuggling operations. Rick Jones, deputy director at the NCA, said the partnership would protect vulnerable individuals while preventing legitimate Chinese companies from being drawn into criminal activity.
The move, however, is expected to generate controversy given concerns over Beijing’s human rights record, including the targeting of dissidents in the UK, as well as its espionage activities in Westminster and Downing Street. Starmer defended the agreement, stating that organised immigration crime is a global problem and that cutting off the supply of boats at source will prevent lives being put at risk and restore control of Britain’s borders.
In 2025, 41,472 migrants crossed the Channel, the second-highest annual total on record. Many made the perilous journey in fragile dinghies, which often consist of just one or two inflated tubes and can capsize from a small puncture. Smugglers increasingly rely on bespoke dinghies and outboard motors sourced from Chinese companies such as Weihai Yamar Outdoors Product Co, which was targeted under Britain’s first international sanctions regime against people-smuggling networks last year. These boats are often shipped via Turkey and disguised as tents, tarpaulins, or other commercial goods before being transported overland into Europe.
Smugglers have turned to Chinese manufacturers after EU restrictions, including outright bans and licensing rules, made it difficult to obtain boats locally. The low cost and ability to order tailored specifications have cemented China as the primary supply chain for these operations, even as law enforcement efforts in Europe have increasingly disrupted smuggling profits.
Starmer framed the agreement as a pragmatic step to counter organised crime. “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,” he said. With Channel crossings continuing to pose humanitarian and security challenges, the intelligence-sharing arrangement represents a significant, albeit controversial, development in Britain’s approach to tackling migration and cross-border crime, Times UK reports.
