An ex-deputy head of MI6 has claimed Britain’s foreign intelligence service doesn’t have the resources it needs to head off covert threats from China.
Nigel Inkster said he based his view on MI6 having “difficulties” in language expertise as well as awareness of Chinese history and culture.
He told the i newspaper: “In 2015, the British government was talking about a ‘golden era’ of UK-China relations… given that situation, it’s perhaps unsurprising the security service isn’t where it might be.”
When Lord David Cameron was prime minister, the UK pursued a “golden era” of relations with China, hosting a state visit by President Xi Jinping and developing closer economic ties. But relations between Britain and China worsened over the Asian superpower’s threat to UK national security.
Mr Inkster argued the China blind spot extends across Britain’s intelligence community, including MI5 and GCHQ.
He said Beijing operates a network of industrial scale cyber espionage operations against the West, adding: “We’re seeing a significant increase in human intelligence collection operations [in-person contacts].”
The former MI6 deputy added, Chinese services seem to be operating under no political constraints, are incentivised to take risks and to do whatever it takes to get the intelligence required.
His remarks contrast with current MI6 head, Sir Richard Moore, who has told news website Politico that his agency has more resources devoted to China than any other mission.
But Mr Inkster claimed Britain’s recent move towards focusing more on China might not be sufficient to withstand Beijing’s capabilities.
He admitted a lot of resources are now being applied to improving Britain’s intelligence community, but it “takes a certain amount of time”.
Mr Inkster welcomed the Government’s National Security Act, which became law in July last year.
The revised Act will help when it comes to prosecuting Chinese spies and replaces an Official Secrets Act which stems from the First World War, Mr Inkster said.
