Page:ISC-China.pdf/29



As noted previously, China's broad aims in relation to the UK are to mute criticism and build support for China as a partner, and to gain economically. More specifically, China’s aims are:

to encourage a divergence between US and UK policy goals on China; to shape the public narrative to mute criticism of the CCP and its actions (particularly in relation to Hong Kong, human rights, the South China Sea, Tibet, press freedom, Xinjiang etc.); to dissuade the UK from challenging any of China’s territorial claims; to encourage the UK to endorse China as a reliable partner (and thereby boost its reputation on the global stage); and to ensure China can benefit economically from the UK (in particular by seeking UK endorsement of Chinese national champions and through the purchase of UK technology companies).

In order to achieve these aims, China is seeking both political influence and economic advantage in relation to "UK government departments, politicians, our academic institutions, non-government organisations, private companies with access to sensitive data and areas of emerging technology (e.g. artificial intelligence (AI), quantum, biotech)". This chapter provides an overview of the political influence and economic advantage that China is seeking: these are also expanded on in later chapters and Part Two of the Report.

China is trying to create a world in which it is "going to be increasingly hard to … swim against the tide of what China wants to happen in … global, economic, political [and] military settings". To this end, China seeks to influence elites and decision-makers in different walks of life. HMG explained:

Distinct from China’s legitimate lobbying and diplomacy efforts, China seeks to manipulate the perceptions of China and Chinese policy in line with [its] ''aims … We judge that China uses overt and covert methods in parallel in order to achieve its aims. Under President Xi, who is championing China's emergence as a global power, the appetite for using these methods is likely growing.''