The Communist government in China, according to Rishi Sunak, poses a “special threat to our open and democratic way of life.”
In his remarks, the prime minister addressed a report that the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament had issued in July.
He promised that ministers will take “all necessary steps” to defend the UK from foreign state interference.
Some of Mr. Sunak’s own MPs have been pressuring him lately to formally classify China as a “threat.”
The prime minister has refrained from doing this, instead referring to China as a “epoch-defining and systemic challenge” while accepting the necessity of engaging 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 into 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—whom the BBC is not naming—debunked the allegations. The Official Secrets Act led to the arrest of two persons, one of which was him.
In response to the report from the committee, which was written before the arrest became public, Mr. 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 would “successfully penetrate every sector of the UK’s economy” using its “size, ambition, and capability.”
“While seeking to exert influence is a legitimate course of action, China oversteps the boundary and crosses the line into interference,” the cross-party committee of parliamentarians continued.
China has been particularly successful at buying academic institutions with its money and influence to advance its international narrative and quell criticism of it.
‘Sabotage’
Along with Mr. 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,” it claimed that China had “tried to headhunt these individuals.”
Additionally, it stated that targeting of current and former civil 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 deals 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 telecom network.
To be able to meet the challenge, the government understands that “further investment” would be required.
It declared that it was increasing money for activities and training in the Mandarin language in order to broaden knowledge.
The UK will become a “harder target” because of the National Security Act, which was approved in July and “introduces a range of new offences for foreign interference, assisting a foreign intelligence service, sabotage, and theft of trade secrets,” according to Mr. Sunak.
And he claimed that this year’s Higher Education Act included measures to defend colleges against attacks to free expression.
‘Glacial’
The ISC’s chair, Conservative MP Julian Lewis, refuted Mr. Sunak’s assertion that the committee’s report was out-of-date.
Given the glacial pace at which the government’s China policy proceeded, he stated, “We observed all important changes and highlighted them throughout the report up until two months before publication.
According to the government, its approach to China is determined by the need to safeguard the UK’s prosperity and security, by uniting with friends to address Beijing’s challenges, and by engaging with China itself to seek out stable and positive ties.
According to the administration, cooperation is essential in many areas, from shared economic interests to the need to combat climate change.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly justified his meeting with Chinese officials in Beijing last month, the first such encounter by a foreign secretary in five years, by saying it would not be “credible” to end relations with China.