The head of the British intelligence and security agency, GCHQ warned Western countries on Tuesday about the "enormous threat" posed by China which, he said, seeks to use its technological dominance for surveillance purposes, and urged them to take urgent action.
In a speech to defence experts, Jeremy Fleming, director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), stressed that the Chinese authorities were looking to profit from their technology, such as their satellite systems and virtual currencies.
This represents a huge threat to everyone, according to Fleming, who has headed the agency since 2017. He called on the United Kingdom and its allies to respond urgently to these threats, according to a statement from the agency.
Noting that GCHQ considers it its duty to see pivotal moments when history changes "without us realising it," he argued that this seemed to be one of those moments. “Our advantage in our future technology strategy is based on what we decide to do now as a community," he stressed, expressing confidence that "together we can turn this moment to our advantage.”
His calls come at a time when China wants to launch its digital currency, the digital yuan, arousing concern among specialists who believe that authoritarian regimes could use this technology for surveillance and control purposes.
China also finalised in 2020 its Beidou satellite navigation system, a competitor to the American GPS.
Many believe China is building a powerful anti-satellite capability, with the goal of preventing other nations from accessing space in the event of a conflict, Fleming said.
There are also fears that the technology could be used to track individuals, he added.
