“Countries are organizing to weaken us and attack our values,” denounces Rishi Sunak

British justice indicted three individuals for spying for Chinese intelligence on Monday. It does not give more details on the nature of the facts with which they are accused, but this trial says a lot about the nature of relations between London and Beijing today.

In Great Britain, three men appeared on Monday May 13 before Westminster Magistrates’ Court. They are charged with aiding Hong Kong intelligence services and foreign interference. This case arises just a few weeks after a first appearance of two other people suspected of spying for China.

Beijing’s scope of action on British territory has expanded considerably over the past ten years, since London granted political asylum to many Hong Kong dissidents. The United Kingdom has long politely condemned this interference, but the degree of infiltration is such that the British justice system has now decided to begin a major spring cleaning.

A list of disputes as long as an arm

As recently as Monday morning, in a pre-election campaign speech, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak heavily emphasized the urgency of strengthening national security in the face of multiple threats from abroad: “I am convinced that the next few years will be the most dangerous our country has ever knownhe warns. The dangers that threaten us are real. The axis of authoritarian states such as Russia, Iran, North Korea and China, these countries are organizing to weaken us and attack our values. At home, China is directing cyberattacks against our democratically elected MPs.”

Rishi Sunak especially mentions China because the list of disputes between London and Beijing has become as long as an arm. First there were the revelations of unofficial Chinese police stations established in the United Kingdom. Then Chinese students working directly or indirectly with the regime were spotted. A scandal was also revealed, concerning thousands of employees or entrepreneurs contacted online by the Chinese government. With each case, Beijing’s espionage activities move a little closer to the heart of British power.

End of diplomatic discretion

The cyber-espionage affair against certain British MPs, to which Rishi Sunak refers, shook Parliament last September, to the point of evoking a “systemic threat”. The deputies also criticized at the time the absence of information on his attacks. They denounced the secrecy in which the authorities had conducted the investigation, always to preserve diplomatic ties with Beijing. But in recent weeks, the government has taken a step forward. This time, British justice accuses. The charges are official. This is everything that Beijing hates and this is what undoubtedly makes Rishi Sunak fear an even more threatening future.