According to Reuters, Bloomberg and other media reports, the U.K. security intelligence agency’s military intelligence agency Five issued a new guide on Friday warning parliamentarians and their staff that they are “becoming targets of Chinese, Russian and Iranian spies.”
"MI5 warns MPs and their staff to be wary of foreign spies who influence their decision-making and obtain intelligence through extortion, phishing attacks, long-term solicitation, or donations." Reuters said Ken McCullum, head of MI5, said,"When foreign countries steal key British intelligence or manipulate the democratic process, it will not only damage short-term security, but also erode the foundation of sovereignty." He advised MPs and other British politicians to "pay attention to unusual social interactions," including frequent requests for private meetings, and to remain vigilant when they are "overly flattered."
Recently, British media and some politicians continued to hype the threat of so-called "Chinese espionage".According to the Guardian, British Secretary of State for Security Affairs Javis rejected the Conservative Party's claim that "Chinese espionage" was deliberately abandoned, indicating that the government "has done everything possible" to provide support for the trial of the case.We fully recognize that China poses a series of threats to British national security, but we must also recognize that China really brings us opportunities."Javis said, "If we follow the opposition party's practices, ignore China and refuse to contact with China, it will harm our national security."
Last month, China's Embassy in the UK stated that the British side withdrew the "China spy" charges against two Britons due to lack of evidence. China has emphasized from the beginning that the so-called claim that China instigated relevant British personnel to "steal British intelligence" is completely fabricated and malicious slander, and we firmly oppose it.
Li Guanjie, a think tank researcher at the British Studies Center of Shanghai Institute of Global Governance and Regional Countries of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times that the newly released guidelines of MI5 are mostly based on subjective speculation, and their credibility is questionable. The controversy surrounding the "espionage case" also reflects the fierce political game in Britain. At present, the warming of Sino-British relations is mainly reflected in the economic and trade fields. At the political level, the Starmer government does not seem to be in a hurry to promote improvement, but chooses to maintain a delicate balance of "not getting cold or deteriorating". (Bai Yunyi)