LONDON (AP) – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed strong disapproval of China’s alleged interference in British democracy on Sunday. This condemnation came after a newspaper revealed that earlier this year, a Parliament researcher had been arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing.
Sunak disclosed that he raised this matter during his meeting with Premier Li Qiang at the Group of 20 summit held in India. He emphasized his deep concerns about any intrusion into the UK’s parliamentary democracy, deeming it unacceptable.
This discussion transpired after the Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest of two individuals in March under the Official Secrets Act, one in their 20s and the other in their 30s. As of now, neither has been charged, and both were granted bail until October, pending further investigations.
According to The Sunday Times, the younger detainee was a parliamentary researcher who collaborated with prominent Conservative lawmakers, including Alicia Kearns, the current head of the influential Foreign Affairs Committee, and her predecessor in that role, Tom Tugendhat, who now serves as a security minister. The newspaper reported that the suspect held a pass that granted full access to Parliament buildings, issued after a security vetting process for lawmakers, staff, and journalists.
Tensions between the UK and China have escalated in recent years due to allegations of economic manipulation, human rights violations, and Beijing’s crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, a former British colony.
Within the Conservative Party, there is a divide regarding the stance toward China, specifically concerning how tough a line to adopt and the extent of access Chinese companies should have to the UK’s economy. Some more hawkish members of the party advocate declaring Beijing a threat, while Sunak has referred to China’s growing influence as a “challenge.”
Former UK Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith remarked that news of the March arrests undermines the government’s attempt to downplay China as a systemic threat.
UK intelligence agencies have increasingly sounded alarms about covert Chinese activities. In November, Ken McCallum, the head of MI5 domestic intelligence, described the activities of the Chinese Communist Party as the “most game-changing strategic challenge to the UK.” In July, Richard Moore, the chief of MI6 foreign intelligence, stated that China was the agency’s “single most important strategic focus.”
In January 2022, MI5 issued a rare public alert, accusing a London-based lawyer of trying to “covertly interfere in UK politics” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party. The lawyer, Christine Lee, was alleged to be acting in coordination with the United Front Work Department, an organization known for exerting Chinese influence abroad. Lee and the Chinese government both denied wrongdoing.
China has consistently criticized what it perceives as British interference in its internal affairs and has denied meddling in the politics of other nations.
Sunak’s meeting with Li took place shortly after Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s visit to Beijing, marking the highest-level visit by a British politician to China in several years. Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the G20 meeting in India.
Sunak defended his approach of cautious engagement, stating that it’s more effective to express his concerns directly rather than merely criticize from the sidelines.
Source: with agencies