US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Christopher Wray joined with Military Intelligence Section 5 (MI5) chief Ken McCallum at the security service’s headquarters in London to discuss the threat posed by China on Wednesday. Mr Wray even suggested Beijing had been taking note of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Talking about the Chinese threat to Taiwan, the FBI chief said Beijing was looking for ways to protect its economy against potential sanctions.
Mr Wray said: “We call that kind of behaviour a clue.”
The pair also accused the Chinese Communist Party of a “blistering” effort to hack and steal Western advances in technology and research.
They also alleged Beijing was using the West’s democratic, media and legal systems to their own advantage.
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Mr McCallum added: “The most game-changing challenge we face comes from the Chinese Communist Party.
“It’s covertly applying pressure across the globe.
“This might feel abstract. But it’s real and it’s pressing.
“We need to talk about it. We need to act.”
According to Sky News, MI5 has more than doubled its “previously constrained effort” against “Chinese activity of concern” since 2018.
It also claimed it is now running seven times as many investigations.
Mr McCallum explained: “We plan to grow as much again, while also maintaining significant effort against Russian and Iranian covert threats.”
However, he also revealed doubling would take place in the next “handful of years”.
