According to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the Communist government in China poses a “special threat to our open and democratic way of life.” The Prime Minister was reacting after intelligence and security committee (ISC) of Parliament released a stinging report on the UK’s China strategy.
The PM stated that ministers will take “all necessary steps” to defend the nation against foreign state activities. Some Tories have urged him to declare China a “threat” in official capacity. He has refrained from doing this, referring to China instead as an “epoch-defining and systemic challenge” but yet recognising the necessity of cooperating with the superpower.
He has refrained from doing this, referring to China instead as an “epoch-defining and systemic challenge” but yet recognising the necessity of cooperating with the superpower.
The ISC report was used by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday to accuse the PM of ignoring warnings about China and leaving the UK “desperately playing catch up” in terms of security. He demanded an investigation of UK-China relations.
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that police had detained a researcher working for Parliament on suspicion of espionage for China under the Official Secrets Act. In a statement sent through solicitors, the researcher debunked the allegations. The Official Secrets Act led to the arrest of two persons, he was one of them.
In response to the report from the committee, which was written before the arrest became public, Sunak stated that he was “particularly conscious” of the necessity for a “robust approach to any and all state threat activity.”
The ISC had issued a warning that China’s Communist Party utilised its “size, ambition, and capability” to “successfully penetrate every sector of the UK’s economy”. “While seeking to exert influence is a legitimate course of action, China oversteps the boundary and crosses the line into interference.”China has been particularly effective at using its money and influence to penetrate or buy academia in order to ensure that its international narrative is advanced and criticism of China supressed,” the cross-party committee of parliamentarians continued.
Along with Sunak’s declaration, the entire administration responded, agreeing that “some Chinese action crosses the line from influence into interference.”
Recognising that China had “tried to headhunt British and allied nationals in key positions and with sensitive knowledge and experience, including from government, military, industry, and wider society.” Additionally, it stated that targeting of current and former government workers was something British intelligence was “acutely aware and vigilant” about.
However, it said that the UK intelligence community’s amount of resources allocated to China had grown “significantly” in recent years.
Using new authority to examine foreign investment, the government reportedly vetoed eight investment transactions last year when the buyer had ties to China.
In addition, the government noted that it had taken control of CGN’s former ownership of a share in the Sizewell C nuclear power facility and barred Huawei from the UK’s 5G communications network.
To be able to meet the challenge, the government understands that “further investment” would be required. It declared that it was expanding money for activities and training in the Mandarin language in order to broaden knowledge.
The UK will become a “harder target” as a result of the National Security Act, which Sunak claimed “introduces a range of new offences for foreign interference, assisting a foreign intelligence service, sabotage and theft of trade secrets.”
And he claimed that this year’s Higher Education Act included measures to defend colleges against attacks to free expression.
