April 20, 2023
A GCHQ plaque is seen during Britain's Queen Elizabeth's visit at the Watergate House to mark the centenary of the GCHQ (Government Communications Head Quarters) in London, Britain, February 14, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Pool
BELFAST, April 19 (Reuters) - China is aiming for "global
technological supremacy" in cyberspace and is using its cyber capabilities
to conduct intelligence and surveillance campaigns, Britain's cyber chief said
on Wednesday.
Lindy Cameron, director of the National Cyber Security Centre
(NCSC), part of Britain's GCHQ eavesdropping spy agency, said Britain had a
"legitimate concern" about the effects Chinese technology may have on
cybersecurity.
"China is not
only pushing for parity with Western countries, it is aiming for global
technological supremacy," Cameron told an annual government cybersecurity
conference in Belfast.
"Bluntly, we
cannot afford not to keep pace with China. Otherwise, we risk China becoming
the predominant power in cyberspace."
China is also using
its cyber capabilities to acquire intellectual property, achieve its strategic
geopolitical goals, and conduct global spying campaigns, Cameron added.
Last month, Britain banned the use of TikTok on government phones, following other
Western countries in barring the Chinese-owned video app over security
concerns.
TikTok has come under
increasing scrutiny due to fears that user data from the app owned by
Beijing-based company ByteDance could end up in the hands of the Chinese
government, undermining Western security interests.
The United States,
Canada, Belgium and the European Commission have also banned the app from
official devices.
China has
characterised the bans as politically motivated. Beijing routinely denies any
involvement in hacking and says it punishes those who do.
Reporting by James
Pearson; Editing by Nick Macfie
https://www.reuters.com/world/china-aiming-global-technological-supremacy-british-cyber-chief-says-2023-04-19/
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