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UK Deputy PM to Address Lawmakers on Chinese Cybersecurity Threat

by Reuters

   LONDON --

   British deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is set to address the
   country's lawmakers about the cybersecurity threat posed by China on
   Monday as worries about possible interference grow before an election
   expected later this year.

   Dowden is expected to make a statement Monday, a government official
   said, declining to confirm whether the deputy PM will also announce
   reprisals including sanctions.

   There has been growing anxiety about China's alleged espionage activity
   in Britain, particularly after it emerged last year that a
   parliamentary researcher was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.

   The government said last year that Chinese spies are targeting British
   officials in sensitive positions in politics, defense and business as
   part of an increasingly sophisticated spying operation to gain access
   to secrets.

   The Chinese Embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request
   for comment.

   Last year, the embassy accused the British government of "making
   groundless accusations" when the head of MI5 accused China of carrying
   out an espionage campaign on an "epic scale."

   Britain's domestic intelligence service MI5 has said it is now running
   seven times as many investigations into Chinese activity as it did in
   2018 and plans more.

   In 2022, MI5 issued a rare security alert, warning members of
   parliament that a suspected Chinese spy was "involved in political
   interference activities" in Britain.

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