I'm not a Chinese spy, insists parliamentary researcher arrested on spying allegations

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A parliamentary researcher arrested on suspicion of spying for China has insisted he is "completely innocent".

In a statement released by his lawyers, the man denied being a "Chinese spy" and said he had spent his career trying to "educate others" about the "threats presented by the Chinese Communist Party.

The researcher, who had links to senior Conservative figures including Security Minister Tom Tugendhat and Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Alicia Kearns, was arrested last March – but that did not His arrest, under the Official Secrets Act, led Rishi Sunak to confront Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang at the G20 summit in India on Sunday. subject of what he described as “unacceptable” interference in democracy.

Mr. Sunak told MPs on Monday evening that he had been “categorically clear” in his engagement with China “that we will not accept any interference in our democracy and our parliamentary system”.

“We will defend our democracy and our security,” Mr Sunak said.

He added: “I have emphasized to Prime Minister Li that the actions aimed at undermining British democracy are completely unacceptable. and will never be tolerated. »

This also led Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden to describe China as the "number one state threat" to the UK, a shift in Britain's position on respect for this country.

Ministers have already described China as a “historic challenge”, but did not use the word “threat” to avoid an escalation of tensions between London and Beijing.

People working for China could also be required to disclose their activities, Dowden said, adding that there is a “strong case” for placing the country in the “enhanced tier” of the system. recording foreign influences.

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