US, UK intelligence chiefs call for vigilance against China’s economic espionage

Asia-Pacific, Europe, News, US July 8, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

The Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Wray visited London on July 6, 2022, to meet United Kingdom MI5 Director General Ken McCallum.

The agenda of the meeting between the two intelligence chiefs revolved around China’s rise as an economic superpower and the threats that it poses to the western world. The chiefs of the US and UK intelligence agencies called on western companies to be much more vigilant against China’s ‘economic espionage’.

In a post-meeting joint appearance at the MI5’s London headquarters, with officials and business executives in attendance, FBI Director Christopher Wray and MI5 Director General Ken McCallum urged business leaders to be aware of the threat from the Chinese government and help the government agencies protect corporate secrets from China.

“By volume, most of what is at risk from Chinese Communist Party aggression is not, so to speak, my stuff. It’s yours,” MI5 Director General said. “The world-leading expertise, technology, research, and commercial advantage developed and held by people in this room, and others like you.”

FBI Chief also spoke about the ‘China threat’ and emphasized the importance of partnerships to address it. This is the first time the two leaders have gathered to address a global threat with an audience of business and academic leaders.

*^{FBI Director Christopher Wray at a joint press conference with MI5 Director General Ken McCallum at MI5 headquarters, in central London July 6, 2022. (Image Credit: Dominic Lipinski/AP)}*

“We’re not just in the business of articulating problems, we’re doing something about them, together with MI5, with the private sector itself, with other government partners,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. He further accused the Chinese government of using cyberattacks “as the pathway to cheat and steal on a massive scale.”

In response to U.S. and UK intelligence chiefs’ accusations of cooperative espionage, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian slammed the two officials by immediately rejecting the accusations as “groundless”, labeling them an attempt to “smear” China’s political system. He stated that the United States is “the biggest threat to world peace, stability and development.”

“The relevant U.S. politician has been playing up the so-called China threat to smear and attack China,” Zhao told reporters at a daily briefing when asked about FBI Director Christopher Wray’s comments about economic espionage and hacking operations by China. Zhao also urged the U.S. official to have the right perspective, see China’s developments in an objective and reasonable manner and stop spreading lies and stop making irresponsible remarks.”

*^{Deputy Director of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Information Department Zhao Lijian. (Image Credit: China’s MFA)}*

The heightened tone between the two sides comes only a few days ahead of the meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations’ ministers summit in Bali, Indonesia.