Achi news desk-
He was speaking at a press conference in London on Monday, alongside Tory MPs Iain Duncan Smith and Tim Loughton.
The three and one other were named by the Sunday Times as victims of a Chinese government hack.
READ MORE: Why we should care about China spying on the UK and Scotland
Mr Duncan Smith said the MPs had been “subject to harassment, impersonation and attempted hacking from China for some time”.
Chinese state actors, he said, had set up fake email accounts to impersonate him and contact other politicians around the world to make false claims about him “reporting” his views on China.
The former Tory leader compared Britain’s policy towards China to the “appeasement” approach towards Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
He said: “What does it teach you when you try to please those you think are threatening? The answer is, they become more threatening and that’s what appeasement teaches us.”
Mr McDonald said: “When I say this affects every part of our society, this is what I mean and so often devolution is forgotten. And I tell you, they don’t forget about it in Moscow or in Beijing.
“They are very much alive to the fact that a great deal of financial and legislative powers do not exist in London. But if I may be critical of the UK Government too, by the way, they have a 20th century view of what national security is.
“So it is also not alive to the modern way in which our government institutions are set up and the way they can be exploited. Take for example, the issue of universities.
“Our universities across the UK, but especially in Scotland, are hugely over-reliant on money coming from the Chinese state.
“If, God help us, we are in a situation where there is a conflict in Taiwan or if there is an economic blockade in Taiwan and there are sanctions back and forth that our universities become subject to, what happens then? ”
Mr McDonald called for “a national dialogue with all parts of society, about the change we need to see” in relation to Britain’s relationship with China.
READ MORE: Calling Perth, Glasgow and Dundee to ‘detwin’ from China
In the House of Commons, Oliver Dowden, the Deputy First Minister, as well as the MPs, said that Beijing was responsible for a cyber attack on the Electoral Commission. According to the National Cyber Security Centre, which is part of GCHQ, Beijing allegedly accessed the personal details of around 40 million voters.
Two individuals and APT31, a front company linked to the Chinese state security ministry, have been hit with sanctions by the UK.
“The UK will not tolerate malicious cyber activity that targets our democratic institutions. It is an absolute priority for the UK government to protect our democratic system and values,” said Mr Dowden.
“I hope this statement will help build wider awareness of how politicians and those involved in our democratic processes around the world are being targeted by state-sponsored cyber operations. We will continue to call out this activity, holding the Chinese government accountable for its actions. ”
He told MPs the Foreign Office would summon the Chinese ambassador to account for her actions. “We will not hesitate to take swift and firm action wherever the Chinese government threatens the interests of the United Kingdom,” he added.
China has rejected the claims.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Britain said: “The alleged cyber attacks by China against the UK are completely false and malicious slander. We strongly oppose such accusations.
“China has always fought all kinds of cyber attacks in accordance with the law. China does not encourage, support or condone cyber attacks.”
There was also support for China from Alba Alex Salmond.
The party’s General Secretary, Chris McEleny said that this “Cold War mentality” could end in “hot wars”.
He said: “The Scottish Government should reject this position, protect valuable cultural exchanges and oppose any attempts by the UK Government to close them or reduce the number of Chinese students who are able to be educated in Scotland.
“We have nothing to fear from speaking and exchanging culture. The real danger is those who wish to divide the world into armed camps and who wish to shut Scotland out of the international community. ”
Scottish Universities have been asked for comments.
