TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — FBI Director Christopher A. Wray on Wednesday (July 6) warned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would cause "one of the most horrific business disruptions the world has ever seen."

While speaking alongside MI5 Director General Ken McCallum at MI5 headquarters in the U.K., Wray said that responding to the threat posed by Chinese espionage is a top priority for both the U.S. and the U.K. and this importance will only increase.

He said: "We consistently see that it's the Chinese government that poses the biggest long-term threat to our economic and national security," reported Deutsche Welle. He clarified that "our" refers to both the U.S. and U.K. as well as European allies and elsewhere.

Countering those who have downplayed the threat from China, Wray said, "I don't have any reason to think their interest in Taiwan has abated in any fashion."

The FBI director was confident that Beijing is learning lessons from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that it may seek ways to "insulate its economy" and "cushion" itself from possible sanctions if it were to attack Taiwan. He pointed out that in the world of intelligence "we call this kind of behavior a clue."

Nevertheless, he also expressed his hope that China will understand the consequences “when you overplay your hand” as has been the case with Russia in Ukraine.

Throughout the speech, Wray continued to call on Western companies seeking to do business with China to be cautious, saying that if Beijing did assault Taiwan, their investments could collapse. "Just as in Russia, Western investments built over years could become hostages, capital stranded, supply chains and relationships disrupted," said Wray.