A British spy chief who goes by the code name 'C' says MI6 channels 'more resources to China than any other mission'

• MI6 chief Richard Moore told Politico that the British spy agency views China as a key concern.
• "We now devote more resources to China than any other mission," Moore told Politico.
• The spy chief previously said that the "rise of China is the single greatest priority for MI6."

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MI6, Britain's intelligence agency, is channeling more resources to China than anywhere else in the world, its chief says. 

"We now devote more resources to China than any other mission. That reflects China's importance in the world and the crucial need to understand both the intent and capability of the Chinese government," MI6 chief Richard Moore told Politico's Anne McElvoy in an interview in Prague on Wednesday. 

Moore, officially codenamed "C," made these remarks to Politico after delivering his second public speech as MI6 chief at the British embassy in Prague. Moore also shared his take on the Russia-Ukraine war during his address, and openly appealed to Russians who are "silently appalled" by the war to spy for the West. 

A representative for MI6 told Insider that the agency has no further comments on the matter. 

This is not the first time Moore has sounded the alarm on China's rise as an intelligence threat. During his first public speech as MI6 chief, Moore said the "rise of China is the single greatest priority for MI6." 

This was echoed by his predecessor, Alex Younger, who told the BBC in February that the UK needs to "wake up" to the threat posed by China, cautioning that Western nations are "under full press of Chinese espionage."

Western nations have indeed been fending off China's attempts at  espionage. In July 2022, the UK Security Service MI5 said their agency disrupted a cyberattack by China against key aerospace companies that took place in May 2022.

And in June, The Wall Street Journal reported that China has plans to set up a spy base in Cuba. The base could be used to eavesdrop on signals from military installations in the southeastern US, per the Journal. The Journal also reported in June that China is planning to establish a new joint military training facility in Cuba too. The facility would, in effect, allow China to station troops right at Florida's doorstep.      

Editor's note: July 21, 2023 — This story has been updated with responses from MI6.