China in brace position as Five Eyes form united front

Beijing can expect more concerted efforts against it from the US, Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand, observers say

Signs of joint action emerged two years ago with Canadian arrest of Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou, at the request of the US

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The members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance are working together to take on an increasingly assertive China, observers say. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:00pm, 14 Jun 2020Updated: 11:56am, 15 Jun 2020

China is bracing for a stronger pushback from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, as its members unite to tackle an increasingly assertive Beijing together, observers said.

Analysts said that with China and the alliance’s members clashing on a range of fronts – from the handling of the coronavirus pandemic to Hong Kong and 5G technology – there was a growing understanding within the Five Eyes that taking on China alone or one at a time would not work.

But the concerted efforts of Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States has not gone unnoticed, with state media highlighting action taken by the group.

Signs of joint action emerged two years ago when Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies, at the request of the US.

The detention triggered a furious response from Beijing, which saw the move as an attempt by the neighbours to contain China’s technological rise. Within weeks, Beijing had arrested two Canadians on state security charges.

The US also slapped restrictions on technological and scientific exchanges with China, limiting visa applications to Chinese researchers.