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Overconfident China could make miscalculations, UK spy chief says

An overconfident and assertive China under President Xi Jinping and Communist Party rule risks making miscalculations on the international stage, including underestimating the resolve of the United States, Britain’s spy chief said on Tuesday.

In his first major public speech as chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) known as MI6, Richard Moore said China and Russia were racing to master technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

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The world’s spy masters, from Langley to Moscow, are grappling with the transformation of China into a superpower challenging the post-Cold War dominance of the United States militarily, economically and increasingly in espionage.

“Adapting to a world affected by the rise of China is the single greatest priority for MI6,” Moore, 58, said in a speech in London.

Listing areas where Beijing has become more assertive, he singled out China’s desire to “resolve the Taiwan issue, by force if necessary” as “a serious challenge to global stability and peace”. China considers the democratically-ruled island to be part of its territory.

China had stripped Hong Kong citizens of rights, carried out abuses in its western Xinjiang province and was trying “to distort public discourse and political decision making across the globe”, Moore said.

“Beijing believes its own propaganda about Western frailties and underestimates Washington’s resolve,” he said. “The risk of Chinese miscalculation through over-confidence is real.”

The Chinese embassy in London did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Moore’s remarks.

China has repeatedly hit back at Western criticism of its actions, saying that the path set by its Communist Party has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. It denies abuses in Xinjiang, says former British colony Hong Kong faces a security threat from secessionists, and accuses the United States of creating tension over Taiwan.

China in 1979 had an economy that was smaller than Italy’s, but after opening to foreign investment and introducing market reforms it has become the world’s second-largest economy, a rapid rise with few parallels in history.

Moore, who joined MI6 in the 1980s and worked under diplomatic cover in Vietnam, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran, said technological progress over the next decade could outstrip progress over the past century.

“Our adversaries are pouring money and ambition into mastering artificial intelligence, quantum computing and synthetic biology, because they know that mastering these technologies will give them leverage,” Moore said.

Moore also lamented the dire state of relations between Britain and Russia, saying his first memories were as a child growing up in Moscow in the 1960s, as his father had been posted to the Soviet Union.

“I have a deep respect for Russia’s history and culture and people,” Moore said. “The current difficult relationship with Russia is not the one the UK wants. But we will do whatever it takes to keep our country safe and to deter and defend against the full spectrum of threats Moscow poses.”

Read more: America and its Enemy No. 1

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North Korea defends close ties with Russia against South Korean criticism at UN


North Korea on Monday slammed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for criticising its cooperation with Moscow following leader Kim Jong Un’s Russia visit, saying it is “natural” and “normal” for neighbors to keep close relations.

Yoon, speaking at the UN General Assembly last week, said that if Russia helped North Korea enhance its weapons programs in return for assistance for its war in Ukraine, it would be “a direct provocation.”

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In a piece carried by KCNA news agency, the North denounced Yoon for “malignantly” slandering its friendly cooperation with Russia, and said Yoon was serving as a “loudspeaker” for the United States.

“It is quite natural and normal for neighboring countries to keep close relations with each other, and there is no reason to call such practice to account,” it said.

Kim returned home last week from a week-long trip to Russia in which he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to boost military and economic cooperation.

US and South Korean officials have expressed concern that Russia could be trying to acquire ammunition from the North to supplement its dwindling stocks for the war in Ukraine while Pyongyang seeks technological help for its nuclear and missile programs.

Any activities assisting North Korea’s weapons programs are banned under UN Security Council resolutions.

“The foreign policy of the DPRK … will not be tied to anything, and its friendly and cooperative relations with the close neighbors will continue to grow stronger,” the commentary said. DPRK is the initials of the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

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Niger military leaders welcome news of French army withdrawal


Niger’s military rulers on Sunday welcomed the announcement that France will pull its troops out of the country by the end of the year as “a new step towards sovereignty.”

The statement came hours after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris would soon withdraw its ambassador from Niger, followed by its military contingent in the coming months.

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“This Sunday, we celebrate a new step towards the sovereignty of Niger,” said a statement from the country’s military rulers, who seized power in late July by overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26.

“The French troops and the ambassador of France will leave Nigerien soil by the end of the year.”

The statement, read out on national television, added: “This is a historic moment, which speaks to the determination and will of the Nigerien people.”

Earlier Sunday, before Macron’s announcement, the body regulating aviation safety in Africa (ASECNA), announced that Niger’s military rulers had banned “French aircraft” from flying over the country’s airspace.

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Niger regime accuses Macron of ‘interference’ for backing Bazoum

Niger junta instructs police to expel French envoy

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Russian air defense thwarts drone attack near Moscow’s Tula region


Russia’s air defense systems were engaged in repelling a drone attack over the Tula region that borders Moscow’s region to its north, Russia’s RIA news agency reported early Monday.

Citing the ministry of regional security, the agency reported that according to preliminary information, there was no damage or injuries as a result of the attack.

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Two of Moscow’s major airports, however, the Vnukovo and Domedovo, limited air traffic, directing flights to other airports, the TASS state news agency reported.

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Russian airstrikes in southern Ukraine kill two, injure three

Ukraine says drone strikes FSB building in Russia’s Kursk

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