UK: China is "the biggest long-term threat to the UK", according to Rishi Sunak, who vowed to be tough on the Asian superpower if he wanted to be the UK's next prime minister.
The former finance minister made the promise in response to his rival Liz Truss in the final two contest to become leader of the ruling Conservative Party, accusing China and Russia of being soft.
According to a previous report by China's government-run Global Times, Sunak was the sole contender in the race who "had a clear and pragmatic outlook on developing UK-China relations." It was described by The Daily Mail as "support that no one wanted", which has come out in support of Foreign Secretary Truss in the race to succeed Boris Johnson.
Sunak suggested the closure of all 30 Confucian institutions in Britain to prevent the spread of Chinese influence through language and cultural events. Additionally, he pledged to "explode the CCP (Communist Party of China) out of our universities", requiring higher education institutions to disclose foreign funding of over £50,000 ($60,000) and investigate research collaborations. .
To counter Chinese espionage, Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 will be used, and will attempt to build "NATO-style" international cooperation.
Additionally, he will research the argument against allowing Chinese takeovers of important British assets, such as strategically important tech companies.
According to Sunak, China was "stealing our technology and infiltrating our universities" at home, "presenting" Vladimir Putin abroad by buying Russian oil, and trying to bully neighbors like Taiwan.
He criticized China's international "Belt and Road" initiative for "loading developing countries with unbearable debt".
“They violate the human rights of their own people, including in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, by torturing, imprisoning and inducing them. Additionally, they are actively suppressing their currency, which they have used to turn the global economy in their favor. has done.
"I've had enough. Politicians in Britain and the rest of the West have rolled out the red carpet and ignored China's malicious intentions for far too long.
I will change as PM on the first day.
China's hawks in the Tory ranks will undoubtedly appreciate Sunak's tough talk as he has repeatedly urged Johnson to be more assertive with Beijing.
However, it also shows how desperately Sunak is trying to bridge the gap with Truss, widely believed to be ahead in significant competition thanks to the support of 200,000 grassroots Tory members.
The winner will be announced on 5 September.
Similarly, the truce has called for a tougher stance, urging the G-7 to act as an "economic NATO" against Chinese threats and threatening Beijing with sanctions if it does not comply with international norms. Is. This is in line with the FBI and MI5 alerts about an increase in Chinese commercial espionage in the West.
However, British government policy had previously issued warnings about China when Sunak and Truss were both in Johnson's cabinet.
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