UK PM Hopeful Rishi Sunak Vows To 'Stop' China: 'They Are Stealing Our Technology And Infiltrating Our Universities'

Former U.K. Finance Minister Rishi Sunak has accused Conservative Party peer Liz Truss of rolling out the red carpet and turning a blind eye to China's “nefarious activity and ambitions," as the two politicians vie to become Britain's next prime minister after Boris Johnson resigned from the post a few weeks ago.

What Happened: Sunak said China and Xi Jinping's Communist Party were the "biggest long-term threat" to the U.K., Financial Times reported.

"China is the biggest long-term threat to Britain and the world's economic and national security - as the Director General of MI5 and the Director of the FBI have said," Sunak said.

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"At home, they are stealing our technology and infiltrating our universities. And abroad, they are propping up Putin's fascist invasion of Ukraine by buying his oil and attempting to bully their neighbors, including Taiwan."

This came after Truss, his rival in the race to No. 10 Downing Street, accused Sunak of being weak on China and Russia.

The China Contention: Sunak further pledged that if he became prime minister, he would close all Confucius Institutes that teach Mandarin in universities and schools and have ties to the Communist Party. Several countries, including the U.S., have shut down the Confucius centers over concerns that they are used for spying.

His team also pointed out that nine of the 31 Confucius centers in the U.K. were established when Truss was the education minister between 2012 and 2014.

"I will change this on day one as PM. I will stop China from taking over our universities, and get British companies and public institutions the cybersecurity they need. And I will work with President Biden and other world leaders to transform the West's resilience to the threat China poses."