British police have uncovered two suspected Chinese spies, one of whom was working in Parliament in London. This was revealed by the Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times Last weekend. The report came shortly before British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit in New Delhi. According to a British statement, Sunak expressed “grave concerns about Chinese interference in British parliamentary democracy.”
British police arrested the two men, a man in his twenties and a man in his thirties, last March. To the shock of many in the Palace of Westminster, where Parliament is based, one of them was Chris Seay, 28, a parliamentary researcher who worked for Alicia Cairns, the Conservative chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. . C., who previously lived in China, also maintained close ties with Conservative Security Minister Tom Tugendhat. He also had an entry permit to the Parliament building. The two suspects were released on bail awaiting trial.
Sunak’s government is divided
This revelation sparked controversy again in the United Kingdom about the complex relationship with China. Several security officials, including MI5 chief Ken McCallum, have warned in recent years that Beijing is infiltrating British institutions and secretly trying to manipulate democratic decision-making.
But Prime Minister Sunak’s Conservative government is divided on the matter. Some Cabinet members, including Trade Minister Kemi Badenoch, say it is unwise to try to isolate the world’s second-largest economy. Prime Minister Sunak has been trying to stabilize the relationship recently. “If we have differences of opinion, or if we have concerns, I would prefer to talk to the Chinese about this face to face,” the Prime Minister said after his meeting with his Chinese counterpart. “This seems like the right approach to me. There’s no point complaining from the sidelines.”
“We are naive about China”
Hawks in Sunak’s Conservative Party see the arrest of the two suspected spies as confirmation of the need to take a clearer stance against the Chinese. “We are incredibly weak and naive about China,” complains Commons MP Iain Duncan Smith.
Suspected parliamentary researcher Chris Seay himself declared through his lawyer on Monday that he was “completely innocent.” Beijing also denies any wrongdoing. The Chinese embassy in London said in a statement, “The claim that China is suspected of stealing British intelligence information is completely fabricated and nothing more than a malicious slander.” He added, “We urge the concerned parties in Britain to stop their political manipulation against China and stop this political farce that it organized itself.”
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