Sunak outlined a number of grievances against China and said that the Asian powerhouse was plundering the UK's technology and infiltrating its institutions, backing Vladimir Putin by purchasing Russian energy, and seeking to coerce its neighbours, particularly Taiwan.
Digital Desk: Rishi
Sunak declared on Sunday that if he is elected as the next prime minister of
Britain, he will be strong on China. He referred to China as the "top
threat" to both domestic and international security.
His commitment, according to AFP, came after his
election competitor Liz Truss accused him of being soft on China and Russia.
Sunak's Plans on China
Sunak recommended
closing all 30 Confucius Institutes in Britain to stop the spread of Chinese
culture and language through educational initiatives. The Chinese Communist
Party (CCP) will be "kicked out of our colleges," he added, by
requiring higher education institutions to reveal foreign funding of more than
£50,000 and scrutinizing research collaborations.
He said that the British
spy agency MI5 will be deployed to stop Chinese spying and that plans were
being made to create an international alliance in the manner of NATO to counter
Chinese threats in cyberspace. A restriction on Chinese purchases of important
British assets, particularly strategically important tech companies, was also mentioned
by him.
Sunak outlined a number
of grievances against China and said that the Asian powerhouse was plundering
the UK's technology and infiltrating its institutions, backing Vladimir Putin
by purchasing Russian energy, and seeking to coerce its neighbours,
particularly Taiwan.
He declared, "They
violate the human rights of their own people by torturing, imprisoning, and
indoctrinating them, particularly in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. Additionally, they
have consistently suppressed their currency in order to manipulate the world
economy in their favour.
"I've had enough.
Politicians in Britain and the rest of the West have laid out the red carpet
and ignored China's evil endeavours for far too long. As soon as I take office
as prime minister, I'll modify this, Sunak declared.
Earlier, China's
state-run Global Times had said Sunak was the only candidate in the contest
with "a clear and pragmatic view on developing UK-China ties".
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