The UK is to share intelligence with China on the supply of small boats in a bid to tackle the people smuggling trade in the English Channel.
More than 60 per cent of all engines used by smuggling gangs last year were branded as Chinese manufactured.
The inflatable dinghies used in crossings are often made using parts sourced in China and enable gangs to pack ever larger numbers of migrants on to a single vessel.
During a trip to China, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will sign a deal which for the first time enables joint UK-Chinese law enforcement action before boats and engines reach criminal networks in Europe.
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 agreement will be finalised following Mr Starmer's meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Thursday.
“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,” said Mr Starmer.
“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.”
Rick Jones, deputy director at the National Crime Agency, said that disrupting the business models of people smuggling gangs is a “top priority”.
“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,” he said.
A total of 41,472 migrants arrived in the UK in 2025 after crossing the English Channel, the second-highest annual figure on record.
The issues of small boats and legal migration are politically charged in the UK and Europe.
Britain's Labour government announced that refugees will have to live in the UK for 20 years before they can settle permanently. It has also signalled it wants to see zero net migration – when the number of people arriving in Britain is the same as those leaving.
Meanwhile, France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said his country should suspend legal immigration for up to three years.
Mr Darmanin made the proposal as he prepares to launch his bid to become president when the country goes to the polls next year. Migration is set to be one of the election battlegrounds.
The current favourite is Jordan Bardella of the hard-right National Rally, who has made drastically cutting immigration and accelerating deportations one of the key planks of his bid for office.
The proposal floated by Mr Darmanin is backed by 67 per cent of French voters, a CSA opinion poll published this week shows.
“Immigration would be suspended for family reunification or employment, but there would be some exceptions, for instance, for doctors, researchers and some students,” Darmanin told LCI, a news channel.
According to Interior Ministry figures, 4.5 million non-EU citizens legally live in France, led by nationals from North Africa. The country granted legal status to 384,230 new immigrants last year.
