Security chiefs from the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have urged the world to step up efforts to protect innovation from "unprecedented" Chinese espionage. FBI Director Christopher Wray hosted colleagues from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network in Silicon Valley on Tuesday to raise the tech industry's awareness of the risks posed by China in high-tech fields ranging from quantum computing to artificial intelligence to synthetic biology.
"This is the first time the heads of our five agencies have appeared together publicly on any subject - an unprecedented event in response to an unprecedented threat," Wray said. "In every conversation about protecting innovation, there is one common denominator... and that is the Chinese government."
Ray and his peers launched the first Emerging Technology and Innovation Security Summit at Stanford University to further draw attention to the risk. Security chiefs, including MI5 chief Ken McCallum, also met with business leaders and entrepreneurs.
Mike Burgess, head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (Australian Security Intelligence Organization), David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, and Andrew Hampton, director of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service, also attended the meeting.
Burgess said that while "all countries engage in espionage," China is engaging in a range of operations, including intellectual property theft, that go beyond traditional espionage.
He said: "The Chinese government is engaged in the most sustained, massive and sophisticated theft of intellectual property and expertise in human history. China has developed a ruthless business model designed to gain commercial advantage...stealing intellectual property is the first step."
The United States and its allies have increasingly expressed concerns about China's military activities and efforts to influence other countries' domestic policies.
China responded that the United States and its allies were trying to contain China and hinder China's economic rise in the world.
Intelligence chiefs say China is increasingly targeting companies for technology. McCallum said: "You who are close to the forefront of technology may not be interested in geopolitics, but geopolitics is interested in you. So we have come together at this summit to reach a wider audience than in the past. Since 2018, MI5 investigations into covert activities in China have increased sevenfold," McCallum said.
Hampton said business leaders are "increasingly aware" of these challenges and "need to keep their heads above water."
Vigneault said the five countries face a "cat and mouse" challenge as the Chinese government continues to adapt to Western security services' efforts to combat espionage. China’s espionage activities are becoming more and more subtle and subtle, and it is also using actions to help the West raise its awareness of espionage threats.
He added: "China has been (our) best spokesperson because they are so bold."