China owns vast network of UK real estate, offshore records reveal

Presence of key distribution centres on list of more than 250 properties raises questions about grip on supply chain links

• UK for sale: how the rich hold British property via offshore firms

The Chinese government owns a vast network of UK real estate via offshore secrecy jurisdictions such as Luxembourg and the Isle of Man, the Guardian can reveal, raising questions about Beijing's grip on links in the UK supply chain.

Disclosures made as part of a new government register of property owned via offshore entities show that China's investment division owns more than 250 properties across Britain via dozens of companies. They include distribution centres that are key to the flow of food and goods in multiple regions of the UK including the south-west and south-east of England and the Midlands.