Britain stated it is considering how to react to a decision by US President Joe Biden to ban certain tech investments in China.

On Thursday, the UK also affirmed that it continues to evaluate potential national security risks.

An executive order was signed by Biden on Wednesday, granting authorisation to the US Treasury secretary to forbid or limit US investments in Chinese entities within three sectors: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and specific artificial intelligence systems.

The US government has said the measures are designed to address national security risks. China said on Thursday it was gravely concerned by the move.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government said the executive order gave important clarity on the U.S. approach: "The UK will consider these new measures closely as we continue to assess potential national security risks attached to some investments."

London has recently sought to stabilise its relationship with Beijing following a period of turbulence over issues such as security rules in Hong Kong and alleged human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.

In April, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly introduced Britain's updated strategy, aiming to safeguard against China's national security risks while pursuing collaboration in trade, investment, and climate crisis.

In June, Sunak and Biden penned a fresh accord to enhance the longstanding security partnership between their nations, pledging to further strengthen economic connections in domains like advanced technologies, clean energy, and essential minerals.

Official data shows that China is not a significant destination for British foreign investment, with the figure standing at 10.7 billion pounds ($13.6 billion) at the end of 2021, compared with 461.4 billion pounds in the United States. British investment in Hong Kong stood at 77.6 billion pounds.