Ministers summoned senior Chinese diplomats to the Foreign Office on Tuesday after accusing Chinese state-backed hackers of cyberattacks on Britain’s election watchdog and surveillance of politicians.
The ministry called on China’s chargé d’affaires and informed him that the UK would not tolerate “threatening” cyber-attacks.
An FCDO spokesperson stated that the government had “expressed clear condemnation of Chinese state-affiliated organizations and individuals engaging in malicious cyber activity against UK democratic institutions and members of parliament.”
“The UK Government will not tolerate such threatening activity and will continue to take strong action in conjunction with partners around the world,” they said.
The summons occurred following Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden’s announcement of sanctions on Monday against a company and two individuals implicated in malicious Chinese cyber activity.
However, criticism from Tory MPs, including former immigration secretary Robert Jenrick and foreign affairs select committee chair Alicia Kearns, ensued, labeling the government’s actions as “weak” and “insufficient.”
Rishi Sunak defended his stance on China, asserting that the UK is “arguably stronger than most of our allies.” Lawmakers on the liaison committee challenged him over his reluctance to take action against Chinese-owned companies like ByteDance, the operator of TikTok.
“I believe that our approach to addressing the risks posed by China is generally in line with our allies and, in most cases, more focused on self-preservation,” he added.
Mr. Sunak also criticized the government’s decision to remove Huawei equipment from Britain’s telecommunications networks, a move made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020 following significant opposition from Conservative supporters.
Mr. Dowden hinted on Tuesday that the government was considering including China in the expanded framework of the new Foreign Influence Register. This would necessitate organizations and individuals advocating or campaigning on behalf of Beijing to register with the government.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister stated that the plan is “in the final stages of finalization, with no specific countries identified yet.”
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Mr. Dowden informed MPs on Monday that ministers were “in the process of achieving a whole-of-Government consensus” on the issue. “I will provide an update on it,” he stated.
Ministers are under pressure to officially designate China as a security threat to the UK in the government’s Integrated
Source: www.theguardian.com
