Page:ISC-China.pdf/86

CHINA

MI5's objectives in relation to HSA are to "seek those trying to pass sensitive UK information and equipment to other countries and ensure they don't succeed" (counter-espionage) and to "disrupt the actions of foreign intelligence officers where these are damaging to our country's interests" (counter-intelligence). MI5 told us that its role is spread across a range of areas, including investigating activity against UK interests both within the UK and abroad (as well as remotely online) ***. MI5 also has responsibility for detecting (and countering) "penetration of government, or the Agencies themselves for that matter" ***. MI5 told the Committee that:

"the MI5 role is clearly central on the counter-intelligence element ***"

In 2020, *** of MI5's operational effort was focused on China. *** in order to counter the breadth of the China threat, MI5 has prioritised its efforts "***". MI5 told us that it was working on a number of areas relating ***, including:

HMG—attempts to penetrate the UK Intelligence Community and wider HMG ***; ***; Science and Technology—attempts to obtain sensitive UK defence technology ***; ***; ***; ***; and Cyber—developing HMG's understanding ***.

***

Although MI5 argued that the measures it was taking were proving to be effective, it also accepted that ***. Director General MI5 told us:

"We've built up quite an experience base now ***. So I don't think we are likely to be ***. Clearly that's in some ways not that different to the version I face of that around counter-terrorism, for example. ***."