Sunak warns China is biggest security threat
CHINA poses the biggest threat to the “world order” of the 21st century, Rishi Sunak has warned.
The Prime Minister said the communist state’s increasingly authoritarian actions must be tackled head on.
Though not calling it a new Cold War, Mr Sunak insisted Western allies had shown “unity and resolve” in confronting the superpower.
His warning came as the G7 gave its harshest rebuke yet to Beijing. Leaders also urged China to press Russia to “completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine”.
At the end of the two-day summit, Mr Sunak said their approach was about “de-risking” the situation rather than “decoupling” as they seek to bolster supply chains and tackle economic coercion.
“China poses the biggest challenge of our age to global security and prosperity. It is increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad,” he said in a speech.
Hostile
The G7 leaders, who include US President Joe Biden, announced they would establish a new team to counter Russia and China’s use of economic coercion to influence nations’ decisions.
They also discussed concerns about Chinese aggression towards Taiwan.
“There is complete resolve and unity within the G7, first of all just recognising the systemic challenge that China poses to the world order,” Mr Sunak told reporters.
“It is the only country with the means and intent to reshape the world order.”
He said the leaders would work to reduce “vulnerabilities” in supply chains from China and protect their nations from “hostile investment”. “We also had conversations about ensuring that technology pertinent to our security does not leak to China,” he added.
Mr Sunak is facing pressure to take a harder line on China, which is increasingly aggressive in the Pacific and has targeted British MPs with sanctions.
There are deepening concerns over the independence of Taiwan, which has seen rising tensions with China – which claims it as a territory. Last week, former PM Liz Truss gave a punchy speech in Taiwan’s capital Taipei, where she called China a “threat” to Britain.
Last Wednesday, the PM backtracked on a pledge to shut 30 Chinese statesponsored Confucius Institutes in the UK, the Government saying that it would be “disproportionate”. to ban the institutes.