China said it had arrested a foreigner who was spying for MI6 in Beijing, even seriously straining relations between China and Britain.
China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) said Monday on its WeChat social media account that the suspected “third country” spy ran a foreign consulting firm and that MI6 established a “cooperative intelligence relationship” in 2015. ‘ with this person.
It was alleged that M16 directed an agent, identified only as Huang, to enter China several times and use his public persona as a cover to gather information about China.
MI6 reportedly trained Huang in the UK and other countries and provided him with specialized spy equipment for intelligence and communications sharing.
Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at Soas University of London, said there was no concrete evidence that Huang was an MI6 operative, let alone an intelligence officer for British intelligence.
The nature of MI6 also meant it could neither confirm nor deny the report, he added.
“The release of this news could be official to embarrass Britain, but it could also be made public because someone in the MGB wants to curry favor with Xi Jinping by claiming that the MGB incapacitated an MI6 agent or operative.” says Professor Tsang. . said I.
Relations between Britain and China have increasingly deteriorated in recent months, with each side accusing the other of spying. In September, a British parliamentarian was arrested on suspicion of spying for China, which he denies.
Philip Davies, director of the Brunel Center for Intelligence and Security Studies in London, said: “Given the situation in the People’s Republic of China, the idea of comparison is perhaps exaggerated. [People’s Republic of China] Operations against us and ours against them are long-term activities.
“But authoritarian regimes are best known for publishing and fabricating spy investigations and accusations for political purposes, especially when they have been caught red-handed elsewhere.”
Professor Tsang noted the Chinese president’s recent interest in maintaining US-China relations on a better footing after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday that cooperation between the countries “is a serious need that must be accepted and addressed.”
“If IGU wants to pick a major power to create a success story, it makes sense to pick the UK,” Professor Tsang said.
China is cracking down on foreign consulting firms over threats to reveal state secrets and says it has uncovered several cases of espionage in recent years.
Benedict Rogers, director general of British non-profit Hong Kong Watch and an adviser to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said allegations that Britain was spying on Beijing “contributes to a more risky and dangerous environment for British citizens doing business.” in China or while traveling to China.”
He noted how the diplomatic dispute led to the detention of Canadian citizens Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who were accused of espionage by China in 2018 and spent nearly three years in Chinese prisons.
“Over the years, we have seen several other foreigners, including ethnic Chinese, be falsely accused and wrongfully imprisoned in China, and with the passage last year of a new espionage law that effectively classifies company investigations under due diligence as potential. Seen as espionage, the situation becomes increasingly difficult and dangerous,” Mr Rogers said. I.
Source: I News
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