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While China’s agents ride roughshod over Britain’s national security interests on a daily basis, it is extremely rare for the damage they do to be publicly exposed. So the recent fiasco that prevented two Brits, accused of spying for China inside Parliament, from coming to trial is of grave concern. Both suspects are now able to assert their innocence in public, the case dropped on the basis of insufficient evidence.
This decision is reported to reflect last-minute sabotage by UK ministers.
[It is a] false assumption that Britain could deepen economic ties with China while remaining critical of its actions in areas such as human rights abuses and belligerence in the Asia-Pacific. We have prioritised expediency. In 2021, UK MPs of all parties passed a motion declaring China’s persecution of Uyghurs to be genocide; yet the present Government has since adopted a less critical position.
The 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) highlights growing Chinese pressure on the rules-based international order, both unilaterally and in collusion with Russia and North Korea. It warns that Britain is likely to face increasing Chinese espionage, cyber and other risks to sensitive IP and other defence interests. Meanwhile China has developed nuclear and other missiles that can reach the UK and Europe, and is modernising its capabilities in areas including space warfare.
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The risks of Chinese involvement in UK key national infrastructure – steel, nuclear, wind and solar energy amongst them – have been under-played. The risk of digital data capture and system sabotage are likewise minimised. But this complacency merely boosts China’s existing political influence, while leaving key social and military infrastructure vulnerable to hybrid warfare sabotage; a situation that Beijing has taken great pains to build up in many less well-governed client states.
So, given the ground truths of China’s geopolitical agenda, how do Britain’s security and other key interests benefit from the last-minute collapse of the case against alleged spies in Parliament? They don’t. The only beneficiary is a ruthless authoritarian state which wishes to become the global hegemon. It must not be repeated.
While China wields great influence, I think for now Russia and the USA remain the biggest problems.
Russia is the source of the far right gaining power in the USA. The USA likewise needs to be brought back to normal ASAP.
Through whichever methods that is needed, I am not sure. But while China is an adversary, if I had the power to, I would reject involving Europe into the Chinese matters, certainly so long as the Russian problem is not resolved, and also the American.
If China could help with bringing Russia or the USA back to normal, I would actually consider China as a sort of ally. After that, whether the US or China is the bigger issue, is then up to us.
As China at least sort of can agree to international treaties, the answer appears clear.