What difference is the revelation that China was behind two cyber attacks – on the Electoral Commission and UK parliamentarians – really going to make when it comes to the government’s approach to Beijing? Oliver Dowden told MPs today that the two attacks ‘demonstrate a clear and persistent pattern of behaviour that signal hostile intent from China.’
But he came in for criticism for the scale of the government response – just two individuals and one entity associated with the attack have been sanctioned, and there is a promise to continue to ‘call out’ this activity in the strongest terms. The Chinese ambassador is also being summoned to respond to the announcement.
The deputy prime minister faced sustained questioning from opposition MPs about Lord Cameron’s links to China. Shadow cabinet office minister Pat McFadden asked whether there had been any investigation of the claims in an Intelligence and Security Committee report that Cameron’s job as president of a UK-China investment fund was ‘in some part engineered by the Chinese state to lend credibility to Chinese investment, as well as to the broader China brand.’
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