Russia’s not the only superpower to fear

IN THE wake of this week’s espionage revelations, there is understandable alarm about the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia to Britain and Europe.

But I am coming to believe that the conduct of China is equally alarming. The Chinese, who will soon replace the United States of America as the world’s pre-eminent economic power, are now beginning to exert their muscle internationally. A small example of this new arrogance took place at this week’s Tory Party Conference, when a journalist from Chinese state television appeared to physically assault a volunteer at a meeting in favour of human rights in Hong Kong.

Instead of apologising, the Chinese Embassy in London has now demanded an apology from the organisers.

Meanwhile, Victor Mallet, the respected Financial Times correspondent in Hong Kong, has been refused an extension to his visa. And yesterday it was reported by Bloomberg that Chinese spies had secretly installed tiny microchips which ended up in American firms’ computers.

This is all part of a pattern of aggressive and bullying behaviour as China tries to convert its economic success into political power. In the long term, it threatens us all.