The current government has taken a harder stance against Xi Jinping's administration over the crackdown on civil liberties in
Hong Kong, including a restrictive national security law and electoral reforms in the former British colony. Mutual sanctions have been in place over China's treatment of Uyghurs in its far-western Xinjiang region.
In an attempt to move the focus in the Tory leadership race on to national security and international affairs, Sunak is expected to say on Monday that China "is the biggest-long-term threat to Britain and the world's economic and national security", citing the views of the director general of MI5 and head of the FBI.
"At home, they are stealing our technology and infiltrating our universities," the former chancellor will say. "And abroad, they are propping up Putin's fascist invasion of Ukraine by buying his oil and attempting to bully their neighbours, including Taiwan."
Sunak will also criticise the Chinese government for "saddling developing countries with insurmountable debt and using this to seize their assets or hold a diplomatic gun to their heads", as well as torturing, detaining and indoctrinating their own citizens in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
In a slight against Truss, Sunak will add: "Enough is enough. For too long, politicians in Britain and across the west have rolled out the red carpet and turned a blind eye to China's nefarious activity and ambitions."
He said he will ban all 30 of China's Confucius Institutes in the UK, claiming Beijing's soft power is enhanced by taxpayer-funded Mandarin teaching in schools being channelled through the organisations.
The controversial bodies have been criticised before for influencing academic freedom in the UK, and
have been called "outdated" by campaigners. They are effectively joint ventures between a host university, a partner university in China, and the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF), a Beijing-based organisation.
CIEF in Beijing has been contacted for comment.
