Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios
Finland is amongst three countries that have recently expressed deep concern about China’s espionage and political influence in democracies. According to Axios, the concern was expressed through intelligence agencies in the country and also from intelligence agencies in the Netherlands and Canada.
Antti Pelttari, director of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, stated that “authoritarian countries are trying to get hold of Finland’s critical infrastructure,” referring to China and Russia. Adding that he also believes Huawei should not be permitted to build Finland’s 5G networks.
Just a couple of years ago, the USA was something of a global outlier in its strident warnings against China but now democratic countries around the world are echoing the same fears.
Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) recently released a report on threats to Dutch national security interests, stating that Beijing’s cyber espionage poses an “imminent threat” to the Dutch economy, in sectors including banking, energy, and infrastructure. Canada also expressed concern and David Vigneault, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, recently said that China is “pursuing a strategy for a geopolitical advantage on economic, technological, political, and military and using all elements of state power to carry out activities that are a direct threat to our national security and sovereignty.
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