The arrest of a 28-year-old British parliamentary researcher, Chris Cash, for his links with China and under the Official Secrets Act, has created the biggest diplomatic conflict in recent years between London and Beijing. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak directly accused China of “unacceptable interference in democracy” in his meeting with Premier Li Qiang during the G20, amid growing pressure from hardline Tories to declare the Asian giant “a security threat.” national”.
In an intervention in Parliament, Sunak himself confirmed having personally warned Li Qiang that “actions to subvert British democracy are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” The “premier” reiterated to his Chinese counterpart “the importance of international laws as a basis for stable relations.”
The Chinese embassy in London accused the Government of orchestrating “a political farce” and a campaign of “malicious slander” with the case of Chris Cash, identified by The Times as “the espionage suspect at the center of power.”
The news of Beijing’s possible mole in Westminster opened the plenary session of Parliament this Monday. The president of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, stated that two were arrested in the investigation opened by Scotland Yard, and that the two suspects are free on bail until October.
Hoyle did not provide further information and warned parliamentarians to avoid “talking about the identity of those involved, speculating about the case or commenting on the details of the investigation.” The president of the House of Commons acknowledged that the information leaked to the media this weekend, including the identity of one of the detainees, “has not exactly been of great help.”
Chris Cash, arrested last March, released a statement through his lawyers denying the accusations. “I am forced to respond to accusations in the media alleging that I am a Chinese spy,” said the British researcher. “It is vital that it be known that I am completely innocent.”
“I have tried my entire life to educate people about the challenges and threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party,” Cash added. “The accusations that have been made against me are nothing more than extravagant news, which goes against everything I have always stood for.”
Chris Cash came to serve as president of the influential China Research Group, created precisely by the deputy and former candidate for conservative leader Tom Tugendhat, a hard-liner with Beijing and current Secretary of State for Security. He has also maintained close ties with Alicia Kearns MP, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
Because of his direct relationship with Tory MPs, he had a special pass to enter Westminster and direct access to “sensitive material” on security. The son of a Scottish doctor, Cash studied history at St. Andrews and spent two years teaching English literature at an international school in Hangzhou, near Shanghai. He completed his studies on his return to the UK with an MA in China and Globalization from King’s College.
His work at the China Research Group, which hosts conservative deputies with a line critical of Beijing, clearly contrasts with the accusations of espionage. In fact, pressure from the China Research Group served to convince the British Government to impose Huawei’s veto on the British 5G network due to security concerns.
Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kerans, with whom Chris Cash worked directly, preferred not to speak publicly about the case. Several Tory MPs decided, however, to take advantage of the occasion to demand that Sunak take a “hard line” towards Beijing in the face of espionage cases (MI5 warned last year about the espionage activities and alleged “political interference” of Christine Lee, a Chinese citizen with direct access to Conservative and Labor MPs).
“We are facing a very dangerous situation,” warned Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith. “This is a guy who has been able to spy for the Chinese Government in the place where decisions are made and where sensitive material about this country circulates. It is vital that his name and his activities are public knowledge because many people who have been in contact with him is not possibly aware that he has been arrested for espionage.
The case has come to light precisely when Sunak had begun a line of approach to Beijing, with the first visit in five years by the head of the Foreign Office (James Cleverly). Despite pressure from his own parliamentarians, the premier does not initially plan retaliation, such as canceling China’s invitation to the first international conference on Artificial Intelligence, which will be held in November in London.