With rhythm! British intelligence chiefs listed China as the "Big Four Threats," with experts referring to Churchill's "Iron Curtain Address" in 1946.

Source: Global Times

Richard Moore, head of MI6, a secret British intelligence agency, who rarely appears in public, declared on November 30 that China, Russia, and Iran constitute Britain's "three major threats," and that China is the "biggest single priority" of MI6. He also falsely accused China of "continuing large-scale espionage activities against Britain and its allies" and that "Beijing's growing military strength and [the Chinese Communists'] desire to resolve the Taiwan issue by force if necessary also pose a serious challenge to global stability and peace." It was his first public address since he became head of MI6. The speech was considered to be the most unfriendly remark to China among britain's top bureaucrats. Many Chinese scholars believe that the British side's move is an attempt to set off a new round of "new Cold War" rhythm in the world by the West against China, just like Churchill's 1946 Iron Curtain Speech. Meanwhile, Fox Television quoted the latest poll from the Reagan Institute, a conservative think tank, as saying that more than half of U.S. respondents view China as the "number one threat, and as many as seven adults fear "war [with China]." Russia's journalist Pravda pointed out that such poll figures in the United States are "pure manipulation." Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on December 1 that the statements made by relevant British personnel deliberately distorted the facts and slandered China's policy, which was full of Cold War mentality and intended to provoke ideological confrontation.

Richard Moore Infographic. Image source: Foreign media

China, Russia and Iran are britain's "three major threats"?

According to the Associated Press reported on the 1st, the head of the British Military Intelligence Agency Moore gave a speech at the London Institute for International Strategic Studies on Tuesday, saying that China, Russia and Iran are the "three biggest threats" facing the United Kingdom, and that the three countries of China, Russia and Iran together constitute the "four major security issues" faced by British intelligence agencies in an unstable world. He said China was MI6's "biggest single priority." "Beijing's growing military strength and desire to resolve the Taiwan issue by force if necessary also pose a serious challenge to global stability and peace ... The risk of Miscalculation caused by China's overconfidence is real."

Moore called China "an authoritarian country with values that differ from ours" and that Beijing engaged in "mass espionage operations" against Britain and its allies in an attempt to "distort public discussion and political decision-making" and form a "repressive network" around the world. He also called China "the poster child for acquiring information and power through massive data collection." "Western adversaries" such as China and Russia are investing heavily in emerging cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) that could revolutionize the geopolitical landscape within the next decade.

It was Moore's first public remark since he became head of MI6 in October 2020. He was also interviewed live by the BBC before speaking that day. Moore said it was important to be wary of the "debt traps and data traps" set by China, "china's attempts to exert influence through economic policies, which are meant to get people hooked." "If you allow another country to get really critical data about your society, which will erode your sovereignty over time, you will no longer have control over that data."

"Britain has found three biggest enemies," DSA said, following the U.S. Defense Department's "Global Posture Assessment" report on China and Russia on Monday, British intelligence agencies have also focused on China and Russia. Unlike Russia and Europe, China, despite being in the Far East, britain still sees it as a major threat, not only because of the Hong Kong problem, but also because of the influence of the United States.

South Korea's World Journal said it was rare for Britain, which has maintained close ties with China in the trade and investment sector, to have its intelligence chiefs attack China so blatantly. South Korea's "JoongAng Daily" said that the head of britain's MI6 openly attacked China and listed China, Iran, Russia, and international terrorist forces as the "four major threats", and his remarks were the most unfriendly remarks to China among senior British bureaucrats.

The British Daily News Network believes that Moore's speech marks a clear change in the position of the British government. Previously, the British government has been hesitant to deal with the "China threat". Britain's defence and security policy assessment earlier this year said Britain's defence priorities should be "tilted" towards Asia, but also stressed that britain would seek to "develop deeper trade links and seek more Chinese investment" with China.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia: The United States and Britain use a mixture of means to attack China and Russia

In response to the head of the British intelligence agency to play up the "China threat", Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on the 1st that China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of international order, and a provider of public goods, and the goal of China's development is to let the Chinese live a happy and beautiful life, not to whom, let alone to replace anyone. He said: We advise relevant personages to abandon the zero-sum thinking of the Cold War and view China objectively and rationally, rather than unnecessarily establishing any imaginary enemy.

Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, said in an interview with the Global Times reporter on the 1st that British intelligence officials openly played up the "China threat" and to a large extent had a rhythmic taste. As a medium-sized country, The United Kingdom's global influence and strength are far less than those of the United States, but as an established empire, its strategic planning power is stronger than that of the United States. As a result, Britain is closest to the United States in foreign policy, and is often british in rhythm. For example, in 1946, Churchill went to the United States to deliver the Iron Curtain Speech, which opened the prelude to the Cold War. This round of US-UK collusion means that their diplomatic and military rivalry with China at the strategic level will not be eased.

Military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times reporter that the british intelligence chief's argument against China is the same as the "global situation assessment" report just released by the United States, which is to exaggerate the military threat of China and Russia and the threat that China poses to the West in the field of intelligence and science and technology. For example, Moore's exaggeration of the threat of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence between Moore is in line with the ANTI-Russian containment strategy of the United States.

Germany's RTL tv said that the United Kingdom and the United States have frequently criticized China and Russia recently, and the NATO foreign ministers' meeting will continue to focus on the threat of China and Russia this Thursday, and various signs show that britain and the United States and China and Russia are forming two camps. The narrowing of diplomatic channels between the two sides is a dangerous trend.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said on the 1st that the West will obviously not give up the extensive use of hybrid warfare against Moscow and Beijing. Speaking at the World Political Forum hosted by Moscow State University on the same day, he said: "The United States and britain will continue to use a series of hybrid means against Russia and China, namely illegal unilateral sanctions, interference in internal affairs, spreading rumors, cyber attacks, and inciting conflicts in our geopolitically significant areas." The role of dialogue and compromise is diminishing, and the current situation is deteriorating. ”

The "China threat" is deliberately shaped by US politicians

While British intelligence chiefs played up the "China threat," U.S. Air Force Secretary Kendall said Tuesday of China's efforts to develop hypersonic weapons: "The U.S.-China arms race is underway." Thompson, deputy commander of the U.S. Space Force, said at a security forum that the U.S. Space Force responds almost every day to "Sino-Russian attacks on U.S. satellites."

Fox TELEVISION quoted conservative think tank Reagan Institute as saying in a poll released Tuesday that more than half (52 percent) of Americans see China as the "biggest threat" facing the United States right now. By comparison, only 21 percent of Americans in 2018 saw China as the "biggest threat," and 30 percent at the time saw Russia as the "biggest threat." The "China threat" has 71 percent of Americans fear a possible war between China and the United States, the report said.

Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times that the American people do not understand China, and their understanding of China is largely based on the propaganda of their own government and politicians. In recent years, especially since the Trump administration, the United States has carried out a full range of attacks on China, and both parties have regarded the "China threat" as political correctness. In such an atmosphere, the people's views on China naturally become more and more negative. Therefore, the so-called public opinion that more than half of Americans believe that China is the "number one threat" is deliberately misled or deliberately shaped by Western politicians.

In response to the "China threat" promoted by the United States and Britain, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the annual international investment forum "Russia is Calling" on November 30: "They have used China to scare me since 2000, and now they are afraid themselves... The Western sanctions and restrictions on China are completely unjustifiable, and I think they violate the norms of international law. Putin also said that when the United States, Britain and Australia establish an alliance against a certain country, it will not lead to an improvement in the situation in the region, but will make the situation tense.

South Korea's Newsis News Agency said on the 1st that although the world is caught in the new crown epidemic, the strategic attack of the United States on China and Russia is still intensifying, and even has reached a dangerous level. However, the United States may also face the security dilemma of Sino-Russian cooperation, and the United States will be in a dilemma.