New Delhi: The UK Tuesday summoned the Chinese ambassador and protested Beijing’s attempts to spy along with the “recent pattern” of “cyber attacks, reports of espionage links and issuing of bounties,” said its foreign ministry in a statement.
“The summons followed Monday’s announcement that three people have been charged with offences under the National Security Act as part of an investigation led by officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command. The foreign intelligence service to which the charges relate is that of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,” added the foreign, commonwealth and development office of the UK.
On Monday, three individuals – Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, Matthew Trickett and Chung Biu Yuen – were arrested and charged with “assisting a foreign intelligence service” and also with “foreign interference” contrary to provisions of the National Security Act 2023 by the Metropolitan Counter Terrorism Command.
The Metropolitan Counter Terrorism Command, in its statement, added that the foreign intelligence service, which the charges relate to is that of Hong Kong – a specially administered region of China.
All three individuals appeared in a London Court Monday, after a series of arrests – 11 people across the UK, including 10 men and a woman – were made as a part of the investigation into the case by counter terrorism police officers on 1 and 2 May.
Peter Wai, Matthew Trickett and Chung Biu Yuen are charged with agreeing to gather information, surveillance and acts of deception.
Yuen, 63, is an office manager with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, and is reported to have been a university classmate of Hong Kong’s chief executive John Lee. Peter Wai, 38, is a City of London Police special constable, while Matthew Trickett was an immigration enforcement officer, as reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
On Tuesday, Lee called for the UK to release full information from British authorities regarding the case to Hong Kong.
Similarly, the Chinese embassy in the UK “strongly condemned” the “fabrication” of the “so-called case” and made representations to Whitehall accordingly, it said in a statement Monday.
“For some time now, the UK has staged a series of accusations against China, including those on ‘China spies’ and cyber attacks. All those accusations are groundless and slanderous,” it added.
“The British side has also wantonly harassed, arrested and detained Chinese citizens in the UK under the pretext of judicial and national security. This constitutes a grave provocation against China and severely contravenes the basic norms governing international relations.”
These comments come as the UK secretary of state David Cameron a few days previously raised the spectre of Chinese interference, including espionage against its electoral commission, in a speech at the national cyber security centre.
“Attacks on our democracy from China, including spying on the Electoral Commission and cyber targeting of our Members of Parliament,” Cameron said 9 May.
Cases of Chinese foreign interference in Western countries have been increasingly reported in recent years. The Canadian government recently ordered an inquiry into Chinese foreign interference (amongst other countries such as Russia, Iran, India and Pakistan), and published its first report earlier this month.
(Edited by Tony Rai)