Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm hired by company linked to Chinese military
Global Counsel, the lobbying firm co-founded by Peter Mandelson, was brought in to advise the Chinese pharmaceutical company WuXi AppTec in Europe months after it was targeted in a US national security crackdown.WuXi AppTec signed a $3m contract with Global Counsel last year to deal with the international fallout from claims that it had links with the Chinese military and was implicated in human rights abuses in Xinjiang.Global Counsel offered to help WuXi AppTec on “geopolitical risk mitigation” in May 2024, soon after the company was singled out in a US biosecurity bill over its alleged links to the Chinese government.WuXi AppTec agreed to a contract with Global Counsel to soften the impact of the US crackdown on its global reputation, scrutiny of its operations and controls on its suppliers.The lobbying firm said it only worked with Wuxi AppTec on European policy issues, not US ones, and had declared this on the EU’s transparency register.
WuXi AppTec was one of a handful of Chinese biotech companies named in the draft bill as having ties to “a foreign adversary’s military, internal security forces, or intelligence agencies” in January 2024.In February 2024, a group of senators and congressmen wrote to several US government departments calling on them to investigate WuXi AppTec’s ties to the Chinese Communist party and military.The company did not respond to several requests for comment from the Guardian.WuXi AppTec publicly refuted the claims against it last year, with its chair, Ge Li, signing an open letter in February 2024 pushing back on the “misguided” bill and rejecting “blanket allegations and pre-emptive actions” against it.WuXi AppTec is one of several Chinese companies that have appeared on Global Counsel’s client roster in recent years, with others including TikTok and Shein.
Global Counsel’s client list and Mandelson’s own ties to China came under scrutiny after he was appointed UK ambassador to Washington in February 2025.Critics of Beijing said his doveish stance and support for closer trade ties made him unsuitable for the role.He was sacked in September having served just seven months as ambassador after disclosures were made about the extent of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.Mandelson stepped down as chair of Global Counsel in May 2024 and stopped advising the business in December 2024.He retains a minority stake according to the latest company filings from October, but this has now been ringfenced and is in the process of being divested.
It is understood he has no role in the business and will play no role in the future,Global Counsel’s work with WuXi AppTec is led by its chief executive, Benjamin Wegg-Prosser, a former Downing Street head of strategic communications under Tony Blair,Wegg-Prosser was reportedly approached by the UK government for the role of investment minister last year but turned it down,The Biosecure Act proposed by US lawmakers last year sought to prevent “adversary biotech companies” from obtaining federal government funding,Supporters of the legislation argued it was needed to keep American citizens’ health data and genetic information safe from foreign adversaries and that it was dangerous for China to dominate the biotechnology supply chain.
WuXi AppTec’s US and European president, Richard Connell, criticised the “unfounded allegations” against the company and said it was known for its “longstanding and strict adherence to US laws and regulations and respected security protocols”,In a LinkedIn post in May, he raised concerns about the bill’s “broader impact on US leadership in biotechnology innovation”,The bill threatened WuXi AppTec’s business in the US, where it supplies key ingredients for a host of drugs and generates most of its revenue,It ultimately failed to pass through the Senate in 2024 after industry pushback,A new version of the bill was endorsed by the US Senate last month, which adopted a softer tone and omitted any mention of WuXi companies.
Earlier this month, WuXi AppTec announced plans to set up its first European headquarters in Germany.The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know.If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods.Secure Messaging in the Guardian appThe Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories.Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs.
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