Rishi Sunak Calls China The Biggest Threat To Britain And World Security, Beijing Responds

Tory leader Rishi Sunak, one of the two finalists for Conservative Party leadership made headlines after calling China "the biggest threat to Britain".

In a series of tweets, Sunak called China and the Chinese Communist Party the biggest threat to the UK and world security. As part of his manifesto, the former chancellor shared his four tactics to tackle China.

If elected as the next UK PM, Sunak has promised to close all 30 of China’s Confucius Institutes in the UK as it promotes Chinese soft power.

He has also promised to tackle Chinese cyber-threats by building a new international alliance of "free nations" and sharing the best practices in technology security.

Sunak ensured the expansion of MI5's reach to provide greater support to British universities and industries to tackle Chinese industrial espionage. This includes building a toolkit to aid companies in protecting their intellectual properties.

He also mentioned the protection of key British assets by preventing Chinese acquisitions of assets like strategically sensitive tech firms.

Beijing responded to Sunak's statement. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called out Sunak's remarks as "irresponsible". He said calling "China a threat cannot solve one's own problems".

Sunak is contesting against Foreign Secretary Liz Truss for Tory Leadership where the winner would be the next British PM, replacing Boris Johnson on September 5.