This may include advertisements from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. Moore, 58, a former diplomat and agent runner, made serious allegations against China during his speech. He accused Beijing of launching large-scale espionage operations against the UK and our allies. He told BBC Radio 4 s Today before his speech that countries should be clear-eyed when dealing with Beijing because of the potential to fall into a debt trap or to have data on their population exploited. More MI 6 resources are directed towards China than Russia and international terrorism for the first time.
The chief of MI 6 said the tectonic plates are shifting as China's power and willingness to assert it grows. The priority for MI 6 is adapting to a world affected by the rise of China. We are deepening our understanding of China across the UK intelligence community and widening the options available to the government in managing the systemic challenges it poses. Beijing believes in its propaganda about Western frailties and underestimates Washington's resolve. READ MORE: MI 6 boss warns of cyber threat from China.
He described the Chinese intelligence services as highly capable before mentioning the Chinese government's attempts to distort public discourse and political decision making in the region. Richard Moore said that a military intervention from China would be a serious challenge to global stability and peace. In what he called the four priorities for MI 6, Moore quoted President Vladimir Putin's controversial actions in the Western Balkans that are on an upward trend. He said: "We get a lot of crises around Ukraine because we worry about a build-up of troops and what President Putin's intentions might be."