It is thought that the previous month Yi Peng 3 had deliberately severed two fibre-optic data cables lying on the Baltic seabed 100 miles apart by dragging its anchor over them.
Pistorius talked about a “hybrid” act of sabotage while carefully avoiding blame. This looked like a classic “grey zone” incident, hard to pin down as a deliberate attack by a hostile nation while hovering in that uneasy space between peace and all-out war.
This was far from a unique attack. On Christmas Day, an oil tanker sailing to Russia broke a power line between Finland and Estonia while severing seabed internet cables – those vulnerable links so critical for modern societies.
Yet we are seeing also many of these grey-zone actions flaring up in Europe – and they show how the West is under attack from this pair of repulsive autocracies.
That gung-ho arrogance on display in the Baltic was seen also with his cover-up of the Covid pandemic origins. Yet how depressing that after the launch of devastating war in Europe, damaging grey-zone attacks and repeated red flags waved by alarmed defence and intelligence chiefs, our complacent political leaders still think they must appease Communist Party goons in Beijing in the hope of winning a few contracts and securing a few jobs.
To show the meaning of “realism” on this front, private sector talks will be led by Mark Tucker, chairman of HSBC – a bank that endorsed the draconian security law used to stifle freedom in Hong Kong, then shut accounts of activists in the pro-democracy movement including those of media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a British citizen. Yet all too typically, its chief executive Noel Quinn – accused by MPs of assisting Communist repression before recently standing down – was handed a knighthood in the New Year honours.
Labour came to power promising a more consistent stance after all the flip-flopping seen under the Tories, based on an “audit” of relations with the country seen by security services as our biggest security threat. It was due to be published within 100 days of taking office. Now we find the results of this review postponed until after the Chancellor’s visit, chunks of it will be kept secret and there are reports that it is being pared back into a typical Whitehall box-ticking exercise to ensure it does not upset Beijing.
The Tulip Siddiq saga shows just how naïve Labour is
Read MoreThis all smacks of appeasement of a country actively engaged in attacks against democracy, from the battlefields of Ukraine and the front lines of global diplomacy through to assaults on our digital, educational, financial and industrial citadels.
From the Baltic Sea to Hong Kong, we see the real face of Xi’s dictatorship as it attacks democracy and disrupts the peace that is so key to economic growth while hiding behind soothing words of diplomacy and talk of stronger ties. It is prepared to stop at nothing to become the dominant world power – although its repression of Tibetans and Uyghurs alone should have made it a global pariah.
Now its economy is floundering and there are growing social tensions, especially among frustrated younger generations. So instead of prostrating themselves before the despotic Red Emperor and his loyal minions, the likes of Reeves and Lammy should be doing everything possible to weaken China’s ties to Britain and undermine this duplicitous autocracy so deeply hostile to our way of life.
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Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Rachel Reeves’ attempt to charm China is utterly shameful )
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