Rishi Sunak slammed by GB News viewer that backs Truss
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With concerns growing about the malign international influence of the regime in Beijing, the Tory leadership candidates have been vying with one another to show who is going to be tougher on the Chinese threat. A four-point plan released today by Mr Sunak is also meant to counter claims that he is “China’s candidate” in the race to become Prime Minister because of his family’s business links.
In a hard hitting plan, Mr Sunak has vowed to ban China from large parts of British life including the setting up of Confucius Institutes in British universities.
The institutes have come with large donations but have long been seen by security experts as a means of accessing British and western data and influencing academia.
Mr Sunak also wants a Nato style alliance to take on the threat of China and will examine the case of banning China from buying or investing in key British assets which could include nuclear power.
Mr Sunak said: “China is the biggest-long term threat to Britain and the world’s economic and national security – as the Director General of MI5 and Director of the FBI have said.
“At home, they are stealing our technology and infiltrating our universities. And abroad, they are propping up Putin’s fascist invasion of Ukraine by buying his oil and attempting to bully their neighbours, including Taiwan.”
He went on: “They are saddling developing countries with insurmountable debt and using this to seize their assets or hold a diplomatic gun to their heads. They torture, detain and indoctrinate their own people, including in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, in contravention of their human rights. And they have continually rigged the global economy in their favour by suppressing their currency.
“Enough is enough. For too long, politicians in Britain and across the West have rolled out the red carpet and turned a blind eye to China’s nefarious activity and ambitions.
“I will change this on Day 1 as PM. I will stop China taking over our universities and get British companies and public institutions the cyber-security they need. And I will work with President Biden and other world leaders to transform the West’s resilience to the threat China poses.”
His plan to use MI5 spies for businesses and universities is aimed at protecting British intellectual property from being stolen by the Chinese Communist Party.
This is also linked to his intention to ban 30 Confucius Institutes in the UK.
Almost all UK government spending on Mandarin language teaching at school is channelled through university-based Confucius Institutes, thereby promoting Chinese soft power.
Mr Sunak would implement the Higher Education Bill amendment which mandates that British universities must disclose any foreign funding partnerships worth more than £50,000.
He would also conduct a review of all UK-Chinese research partnerships which unwittingly assist China’s Made in China 2025 strategy to dominate the technologies of the future or that have military applications.
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His plans for a Nato-style alliance against China is based on the need to defend the UK from increasing numbers of cyber attacks from the country and its allies.
Last year the UK led the international community in condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s global cyber attacks targeting people all across the world.
Under Mr Sunak’s plans, the UK would help lead the world in creating a new alliance to stand up to Chinese technological aggression.
This will build on our existing security partnerships with democratic nations, such as Five Eyes and AUKUS.
Given that there is evidence to suggest China has targeted countries from the United States to India, Rishi is confident that he can create a broad alliance including countries from all over the world.
During the ITV debate, Mr Sunak’s leadership rival Liz Truss openly questioned him about his attitude to China.
One of her allies, former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, questioned Mr Subak’s commitment to taking a tough line.
He said: “This ‘tough on China’ announcement is surprising. After all, over the last two years, the Treasury has pushed hard for an economic deal with China. This is despite China sanctioning myself and 4 UK parliamentarians.
“Despite China brutally cracking down on peaceful democracy campaigners in Hong Kong, threatening Taiwan, illegally occupying the South China Sea, committing genocide on the Uyghurs and increasing its influence in our universities.
“After such a litany, I have one simple question, where have you been over the last two years?”
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