UK accuses China of spying: two arrested

Relations between China and the UK are on edge. Britain accuses China of spying after two arrested One of them is said to be in touch with the ruling Conservative Party. China strongly denies this.

According to United Kingdom correspondent Leah van Begoven, it is still unclear what exactly the alleged spies were charged with. It is understood that this includes a suspect who served on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and therefore had access to the British Parliament. ‘He organized drinks and parties for MPs about China and was active on a dating site, where he tried hooking up with a political reporter.’

Although a Sunday newspaper broke the news yesterday, van Beckhoven insists the affair has been going on for some time. The suspects were arrested in March and will appear in court in October.

Is it dangerous?

The suspects themselves vehemently deny it, but even if it is proven that they were spying, Van Beckhoven does not think that important information was captured. “To get that confidential information, you have to be verified,” he explains. Intelligence is responsible for this. A pass granting access is issued only after approval, and suspects have no pass.

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Little is known about the suspects’ backgrounds, although van Begoven noted that they both hold degrees in Chinese science and global international politics. ‘This is also the reason why at least one suspect was able to easily get a job as an investigator – he got a good education in good schools.’

Chinese relationship

Van Beckhoven did not expect the spy scandal to cause major problems for the relationship between China and the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a diplomatic crisis ‘unlikely’, despite calls for ‘China to stop meddling’. “The British certainly worry about China’s interference, but they are the only ones who continue to have problems with the Western government.”