On Tuesday, Britain’s GCHQ spy agency chief is expected to warn Western countries of an emerging threat originating from China seeking to exploit its tech dominance in order to exercise control over its own citizens. In addition, the country is looking to gain influence abroad. The Chinese Communist Party, according to the director of the cybersecurity agency Jason Fleming, views emerging technologies such as satellite systems and digital currencies as a way to gain an advantage. Fleming is planning on arguing that China is acting in ways in the technology industry that could represent a huge threat.
Fleming plans to urge the UK and its allies to respond to the threat urgently. Fleming has been the head of the GCHQ since 2017 and has looking to bring the agency out of the shadows and predict emerging threats. Fleming’s comments come as China is currently planning to release its new “digital yuan,” which raises fears that the country could leverage the digital currency to increase surveillance and control over its own population.
