Rishi Sunak has confronted the Chinese language premier over “interference” in UK democracy, amid claims {that a} parliamentary researcher was spying for China.
The Prime Minister met Li Qiang shortly earlier than his departure from the G20 summit in India on Sunday morning.
A Downing Avenue spokesman mentioned: “The Prime Minister met Premier Li Qiang and conveyed his vital issues about Chinese language interference [in] the UK’s parliamentary democracy.”
The confrontation got here after a British parliamentary researcher was arrested on suspicion of spying for China in a significant safety breach at Westminster.
The person, who’s aged in his late twenties, is believed to be linked to quite a lot of senior Tory MPs, together with a quantity who’ve entry to labeled or extremely delicate data.
The suspect labored alongside MPs on worldwide coverage, together with relations with Beijing, for quite a lot of years and was a parliamentary cross holder.
They embody Tom Tugendhat, the safety minister, and Alicia Kearn, the chairwoman of the international affairs committee.
He was arrested together with one other man on suspicion of espionage-related offences on March 13.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s counter terrorism command, which oversees espionage-related offences, are investigating.
One of many males, in his 30s, was detained in Oxfordshire on March 13, whereas the opposite, in his 20s, was arrested in Edinburgh, Scotland Yard mentioned.
A senior Whitehall supply informed the The Sunday Occasions: “It is a main escalation by China. We’ve by no means seen something like this earlier than.”
Safety officers concern he was recruited throughout his time dwelling and dealing in China.
Scotland Yard mentioned: “Officers from the Metropolitan Police arrested two males on March 13 on suspicion of offences underneath part one of many Official Secrets and techniques Act 1911.
“A person in his thirties was arrested at an tackle in Oxfordshire and a person in his twenties was arrested at an tackle in Edinburgh.
“Searches had been additionally carried out at each the residential properties, in addition to at a 3rd tackle in east London. Each males had been taken to a south London police station and had been launched on police bail till a date in early October.”
The Telegraph understands that Mr Tugendhat, a former chairman of the Commons international affairs committee, has not spoken to the person since he grew to become safety minister final September.
Ms Kearns declined to remark in a put up on Twitter within the wake of the report.
She added: “Whereas I recognise the general public curiosity, all of us have an obligation to make sure any work of the authorities just isn’t jeopardised.”
A supply near Ms Kearns mentioned: “It’s no shock Alicia and Tom had been focused, given their forged iron report on altering laws on China – pushing the Authorities to be more durable on the Chinese language communist get together from the Procurement Invoice to Newport Wafer Fab, to Confucius institutes, getting unlawful Chinese language police stations closed and past.
“That is what hostile states do – goal and search to undermine these they will’t silence. They’ve failed once more.”
Ken McCallum, the pinnacle of MI5, has beforehand underlined that the Chinese language Communist Occasion poses “probably the most game-changing strategic problem” to the UK.
Additional issues have been raised that China is focusing on the UK “prolifically and aggressively”, in response to the Commons intelligence and safety committee, which printed a report again in July.
However the committee warned that authorities departments didn’t have the “sources, experience or information” to sort out the risk.
Labour’s shadow residence secretary Yvette Cooper mentioned: “That is an immensely severe report and reveals why the UK wants a way more complete response to nationwide safety threats and challenges from China and different international locations.
“It comes at a time when the Authorities additionally wants to elucidate severe safety failings over the escape of a prisoner charged with nationwide safety offences.”