图像来源，PA MEDIASir Fleming urged countries to beware of the "hidden costs" of introducing Chinese technology.
The director of the UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) said Chinese technology poses a major threat to UK security and prosperity.
Sir Jeremy Fleming said in a speech that the Chinese state leadership is using technology to gain control at home and abroad.
He stressed that the situation is urgent and that the UK and allies must respond to it.
Sir Fleming also pointed out that the Russian military is exhausted in the war in Ukraine, but there is no sign of using nuclear weapons.
The intelligence chief told an audience at the Royal United Services Institute's annual security speech that China was deliberately and patiently seeking to gain a "strategic advantage" "by shaping the world's technology ecosystem."
Sir Fleming believes that the CCP aims to manipulate the technology that underpins people's lives, to implant its influence at home and abroad, and to create opportunities for surveillance.
He warned that China seeks to build "vassal economies and governments" by exporting technology around the world, and that these countries risk "mortgaging the future" in absorbing Chinese technology at "hidden costs".
He presented a series of cases, including:
- Development of the Beidou satellite system—— a network that competes with the Global Positioning System (GPS), which Sir Fleming said was built into products exported to more than 120 countries. He claimed it could potentially be used to track individuals or be incorporated into plans to destroy other countries' satellite networks in conflicts.
- China's proposed new internet standards that could embed greater government manipulation.
- China's plan to launch a digital currency. Sir Fleming sees this as Beijing seeking to learn from Russia's experience and protect itself from sanctions.
China refutes Sir Fleming's remarks
The Chinese embassy in the UK expressed "resolute opposition" to Sir Fleming's remarks and "strongly condemned it" shortly after his speech.
The spokesperson of the embassy issued a written comment late on Tuesday (October 11), saying: "The remarks made by the head of the British intelligence department are full of prejudice, baseless and malicious slander against China."
"China adheres to the path of peaceful development, and has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of international order, and a staunch force in maintaining world peace and promoting common development. On the other hand, a few countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom use science and technology. The superiority suppresses the development of other countries, creates confrontation and confrontation in the world, and brings countless chaos and turmoil to the world. Who is the threat to international peace and security, the world has long had a public opinion.”
The content of Sir Fleming's speech has been disclosed in advance. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning responded: "China's development of science and technology is to enable the Chinese people to live a better life, not targeting anyone, let alone posing a threat. Adhering to the 'China threat theory' and provoking confrontation and confrontation will harm others. Harm yourself again."
But the intelligence chief said he would not prevent children from using TikTok, an app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, although he also said young people should be more mindful of how their personal information is shared.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today, BBC Radio 4 before his speech: "No, I'm not going to [stop children from using TikTok], but I'll be talking to my kids about how they think about their phones. personal information on it.”
“I think it’s really important to start from an early age knowing that there are no free goods. When we use these services, we trade our data in exchange. If it’s proportionate and we’re comfortable with the way they protect our data, that’s great. "
He also said: "Make good use of it, make good videos, use TikTok, but only use it when you think about it."
But Sir Fleming also believes that China's control of future technology is not inevitable. "Our future strategic technology advantage is what we do next as a group," he said.
Sir Fleming runs an agency that monitors communications and cyberspace. He called on UK universities to have a "mature" dialogue on working with China.
Some educational institutions have established cooperative projects with Chinese counterparts, and these partners have ties to defense or intelligence agencies, causing controversy.
Sir Fleming told the audience that the UK should continue to welcome Chinese students to study abroad, but it was particularly important to "make clear which areas of technology we require additional protection", such as artificial intelligence and quantum computer engineering.
His speech also mentioned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said the Russian army was "exhausted" and was running out of supplies and ammunition.
