UK's Spy Agency, FBI Bosses Flag China Threat In Rare Joint Address

Beijing rejected the accusations, describing them as "completely groundless".

The heads of MI5 and the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned Wednesday about China's commercial espionage thrust in the West, in a rare joint address at the British intelligence service's London headquarters.

Speaking to an audience of officials and business executives in Thames House, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum and FBI Director Chris Wray said the threat from Chinese spies is paramount in both countries and only continues to grow.

McCallum said MI5, the British domestic intelligence service, had sharply expanded its China-focused operations.

"Today we're running seven times as many investigations as we were in 2018," he said.