But there are now added fears that the Covid crisis – which has wiped billions off the value of UK companies – could trigger a wave of attempts by Chinese private equity firms and other predators to pounce on cutting-edge groups on the cheap.
This could lead to a 'brain drain' with highly skilled British jobs and intellectual property flowing overseas.
Conservative MP Bob Seely, who sits on the Commons foreign affairs committee, said: 'There is a problem with private equity anyway but we've got to be wiser to what's happening when it's a Chinese firm.
'When it comes to buying up sensitive technologies, because China is a one-party state you have to wonder what the motives are – this can effectively be a surreptitious tech transfer.'