China has for the first time become the single greatest focus for the UK’s spy agency MI6, with its chief warning the risk "is real" of a miscalculation by Beijing through underestimating western resolve to push back ⬇️

bit.ly/3d4xhWH
Pointing to Taiwan, @ChiefMI6 Richard Moore said a desire by the ruling Chinese Communist Party - backed by an increasingly powerful military - to regain control of the territory by force if necessary was a "serious challenge to global stability and peace".
The 🇬🇧 spymaster also accused China of conducting "large-scale espionage operations against UK + our allies" & he said countries globally should be "clear-eyed" when dealing with Beijing because of potential to fall into a debt trap or to have data on their population exploited
It is very unusual for such a senior UK security figure to speak in such stark terms about China.

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More from @haynesdeborah

1 Dec
BREAKING: A passionate message from NATO Chief @jensstoltenberg (who is from Norway so knows first hand what it's like to neighbour Russia) to President Vladimir Putin - you have no right to a "sphere of influence" to control your neighbours
Speaking after a foreign ministers meeting @jensstoltenberg says: "It's only Ukraine & 30 NATO allies that decides when Ukraine is ready to join NATO. Russia has no veto, Russia as no say & Russia has no right to establish a sphere of influence to try to control their neighbours"
The NATO chief says the whole idea of Russia having a sphere of influence "is not acceptable".
@jensstoltenberg says: "They try to re-establish some kind of acceptance that Russia has a right to control what neighbours do or not do. 1/
Read 12 tweets
30 Nov
The 🇬🇧F35 that dropped off @HMSQNLZ & into the Mediterranean 2 weeks ago has yet to be retrieved but experts know where it is, National Security Adviser tells @CommonsDefence. Stephen Lovegrove admits protecting jet from spying eyes of adversaries like Russia is "top of our mind"
Here are full quotes:
NSA on #F35: "Clearly the swift recovery of the aircraft is what we would like to do. We are working closely with allies on the mechanics of that. But I can’t go into too much detail for reasons of operational security. We haven’t got the plane up yet."
On Russian spy threat to sunken #F35, NSA says: "The kind of precautions & operations we're undertaking...are designed at least in part to ensure the technology of the F35 remains as confidential as you'd like it to be though security aspects are very much at the top of our mind"
Read 4 tweets
30 Nov
NOW: Richard Moore, @ChiefMI6, is giving his first public speech as Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) at @IISS_org ImageImage
While the identity of the head of MI6 - and very existence of the agency - is no longer secret, Moore says giving speeches is still rare. “This is something I want to change”
Richard Moore describes China, Russia, Iran & international terrorism as still being the “Big Four” threats for the intelligence world. But shaping everything are advances in technology - a “white-hot focus” for #MI6
Read 9 tweets
30 Nov
NOW: Richard Moore, @ChiefMI6, is live on @BBCr4today - first time "C" ("M" in the James Bond movies) has done a live interview
The MI6 chief admits he did do some secret "skulking" while a young spy - though doesn't say he did things like wear fake beards as a disguise
Richard Moore talks about the vital need in 21st century for the UK & allies to keep up with rivals (ie states like China, Russia, Iran) in the development of technologies
Read 14 tweets
23 Oct
📺EXCLUSIVE: Russia's leaders believe they are "at war" with the UK & its allies but 🇬🇧is failing to deter the threat, a former spy who wrote a dossier on Donald Trump says. Christopher Steele suspects Russian agents may even have left him a "calling card"
bit.ly/3vAJqvb
Christopher Steele also claimed:
- He had evidence of Russian hostilities against UK, including during #Brexit referendum
• Moscow thinks it could possibly collapse EU
• His wife's career as a crown servant suffered in dossier fallout & she retired early
bit.ly/3nigcNT
Former #MI6 officer behind Trump dossier "surprised & disappointed" after @theresa_may played down his links to UK government.
Christopher Steele said he'd spent hours briefing her in 2010 & had been reviewing official UK papers days before dossier leaked.
bit.ly/3jpxBD2
Read 5 tweets
6 Oct
EXCLUSIVE: NATO has decided to halve the size of Russia’s mission to the alliance in response to suspected malign Russian activities, including killings & espionage. 8 diplomats, thought to be undeclared intelligence officers, will be asked to leave & 2 other positions scrapped
A NATO official said: “We can confirm that we have withdrawn the accreditation of eight members of the Russian Mission to NATO, who were undeclared Russian intelligence officers. 1/3
"We can also confirm that we have reduced the number of positions which the Russian Federation can accredit to NATO to 10. 2/3
Read 6 tweets

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