Top Intelligence Officials Throughout NATO Countries Warn About Chinese and Russian Intelligence Activity
Top intelligence officials in Canada, Norway and the United Kingdom have expressed concerns over Chinese and Russian activity which has been branded a significant threat.
Norwegian Intelligence has just released its 2021 national threat assessment (not yet available in English) in which it identified Russian, Chinese, Iranian and Pakistani intelligence organizations as the largest intelligence threats to Norway. The report highlighted that China is working to achieve long-term results and warned of the threat posed by the CCP’s ability to impose its own will on Chinese companies.
The report highlighted that the intelligence activities of China and other hostile states can:
- Weaken our democracy.
- Weaken our civilian and military crisis management capabilities.
- Reduce the legitimacy of the Norwegian authorities in the population.
- Influence political decision-making processes in conflict with Norwegian interests.
- Weaken Norwegian position in international negotiations
- Weakening the business community’s competitiveness.
- Steal sensitive research and technology.
- Restrict the freedom of expression of individuals.
Meanwhile in Canada, Canadian Security Intelligence Service director David Vigneault spoke with similar sentiment. Canada’s companies have suffered greatly at the hands of state actors, the director said, putting an emphasis on the biopharmaceutical, health, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, ocean technology and aerospace sectors. He said:
“They have been compromised and have suffered losses from human and cyber-enabled threats. CSIS has observed persistent and sophisticated state-sponsored threat activity for many years now and we continue to see a rise in the frequency and sophistication of this threat activity. […] While violent extremism remains an ongoing threat to our safety and a significant preoccupation for CSIS, the greatest strategic threat to Canada’s national security comes from hostile activities by foreign states.”
In the United Kingdom meanwhile, Intelligence Services have raised concerns about Chine infiltration of academia. One UK think tank, The Henry Jackson Society’s recent survey, claims that 669 Chinese nationals with a military-linked education work in the UK and that 80 “high risk” Chinese students are engaged in studies in sensitive fields. This comes amid concerns of British defense technology leaking to the PRC.