China an ‘epoch-defining challenge,’ new UK spy boss warns

TOM BRISTOW

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Britain’s top cyber spy warned that China represents an “epoch-defining challenge” and accused it of seeking to undermine international norms in her first major speech on Tuesday.

Anne Keast-Butler, director of U.K. signals intelligence agency GCHQ, said responding to China was the spy agency’s “top priority.”

The country has been blamed for a string of cyberattacks on British institutions, including the Electoral Commission, elected politicians and its armed forces.

“Russia and Iran pose immediate threats. But China is the epoch-defining challenge,” Keast-Butler said.