London: The election process for the Prime Minister is being carried out by the ruling Conservative party in the United Kingdom. Security-related sources claimed that China could interfere in the process through cyberattacks. Russia attempted to influence the Brexit poll held in 2016 through cyberattacks. Sources warned that China could repeat the same.
Moreover, incumbent British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has resigned from the post of Prime Minister and is holding the post as the interim Prime Minister till the new leader is elected. The process of electing a new leader started in the Conservative party following his resignation. It has been decided that the final fight will be between Foreign Minister Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.
Online voting will be used in the election process. Pointing to the fact that both the candidates are seen to have stressed on the internet even for campaigning, the security-related sources in the United Kingdom have warned that China can interfere in this process. Both leaders have indicated in the campaign’s final stages that an aggressive stand will be maintained against China. 
But Rishi Sunak has indicated that cordial relations will be maintained with China on the trade front. The reports that the Chinese media have taken cognisance of this have also been published. It is believed that China may try to orchestrate a win for Rishi Sunak, taking this background into account.
A few days ago, a joint press conference of the chiefs of investigation and intelligence agencies from the United States and the United Kingdom was held in the British capital London. During the conference, the chief of the British intelligence agency, MI5, mentioned the increasing Chinese activities. The chief of MI5 had warned that China is carrying out large-scale espionage in the United Kingdom through various channels and there is a consistent increase in such incidents.
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