For the DPhil thesis, I am keen to explore how Western developed states, with a focus on Europe, make decisions about letting companies originating from potentially hostile states, specifically China, partake in their critical national infrastructures (CNI). The research would build upon my MPhil thesis, which sought to contribute to this topic by comparing the policies of the United Kingdom (UK) vis-à-vis Chinese investment in two of its CNI sectors, telecommunications, and nuclear power. By analyzing the discrepancies in the treatment of Chinese companies in these different sectors within one state, the thesis aimed to find which factors help to explain policy outcomes regarding the authorization or banning of foreign involvement. The specific independent variable identified as having causal significance was pressure from the UK's main political ally, the United States (US); the DPhil research would employ the findings and test the effect of the independent variable on other cases in Europe.
