How the spy trial row has exposed Britain’s China problem
TThe collapsed spy case scandal has exposed the depth of the China problem for Britain and its ruling classes.
The Beijing Communist regime is seen as one of the most dangerous threats to Britain and its Western allies, at the heart of a new “axis of evil” alongside Russia and Iran.
But it also represents a tempting pot of gold that British and other Western governments can use to finance their debt-laden economies and pay for much-needed infrastructure.
The spy case scandal has lifted the lid on allegations that key figures in this and the previous government had close ties to Beijing.
This comes against a backdrop of ongoing concerns about the treatment of political prisoners in Hong Kong and the operation of illegal Chinese courts in the UK.
Spy case controversy explained
The case of Christopher Cash, 30, a former parliamentary investigator, and Christopher Berry, 33, a teacher, collapsed last month amid claims by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that the government had refused to produce evidence needed to proceed with the case.
Sir Keir Starmer’s defense was that the previous Tory government under Rishi Sunak did not put in place the correct laws to hold the hearing because China was not properly identified as a national security threat.
Sunday Times Treasury and national security adviser Jonathan Powell reportedly pressed for the case to be withdrawn for fear it could lead economic giant China to withdraw its investments in the UK.
Downing Street strongly rejected suggestions that officials or ministers were taking such an approach.
Chinese super embassy
All this is happening on the eve of a decision on whether China will seek permission to build a super embassy on the Royal Mint Court site in London.
There are doubts that Labor will allow protests against it despite serious security concerns over its use for espionage and ongoing problems with China’s operations in the UK.
If this continues, many people will be quick to connect the espionage case issue with the new embassy issue; The current government thinks its desire for China trade trumps everything else.
Is Labor too close to Beijing?
The hearing once again lifted the lid on the links between the Beijing regime and Sir Keir’s government.
But former U.S. ambassador Peter Mandelson and current national security adviser Mr. Powell had close business-level ties to China.
But it doesn’t end there. Professor, one of Sir Keir’s key advisers in opposition Thom Brooks, Durham University He was a freelance commentator for the Chinese propaganda channel CGTN. Its license was revoked by Ofcom in 2021 due to serious concerns about its operations.
This is far from the first espionage controversy, by the way. Labor MP Barry Gardiner received a £500,000 donation from Chinese agent Christine Lee and gave her access to parliament.
Are conservatives to blame?
Labor pointed out that the problems in the case actually went back to the previous Conservative government under Mr Sunak and its policy.
In fact, it could be argued that Labor is continuing the policy articulated by Sir James Cleverly when he was foreign secretary.
He said: “It is an important country, a big country, an influential country and a complex country, so our relationship with China will necessarily be just as complex and sophisticated.
“We’re clear about the areas where we have fundamental disagreements with China, and we raise those issues when we meet. But I think it’s also important to recognize that we need to have a pragmatic, sensible working relationship with China because of the issues that affect us around the world.”
Sir Keir himself questioned the suitability of Mr Cleverly’s successor, David Cameron, as foreign secretary because of his business links with China.
Is it the end of the ‘golden age’?
The problem is that the UK has failed to find a sweet spot between friend and foe in its relationship with Beijing.
While the Blair, Brown and Cameron governments turned a blind eye, British universities such as Imperial College, Durham and Oxford acknowledged Beijing’s enormous influence and courted China for funding. In fact, Lord Cameron’s drive to increase trade ties with China during his premiership has since been referred to as a “golden age”.
Failure to deal with China’s method of stealing international copyrights has been a problem.
Then there was the attempt by the Cameron and Theresa May governments to allow China, through Huawei, to build the UK’s 5G network and become involved in building the UK’s nuclear reactor capacity.
The Huawei deal collapsed thanks largely to the actions of former defense secretary Sir Gavin Williamson, but only after a major row in cabinet.
But the argument has always been that Chinese investment is vital for projects to progress, and cooperation with China is vital for tackling problems such as the climate crisis.
Prominent figures such as Sir Iain Duncan Smith and former security minister Tom Tugendhat have always warned about China’s ambitions and agenda.
They were disgusted that the UK government had raised concerns about the treatment of Chinese dissidents, particularly in Hong Kong. This included the detention of British citizen Jimmy Lai.
The world turned a blind eye to the desperate plight of Uyghurs in concentration camps, who were subjected to sterilization programs and forced medical experiments.
And the economic threat posed by China was underlined when Sir Keir was forced to effectively nationalize British Steel after a Chinese company was accused of trying to close the plant in Scunthorpe.
England and the West are under siege
But whatever the pros and cons of China’s involvement, there is no doubt that Britain and the West are under siege.
A senior Whitehall source said: Independent: “We are at war, but our past and present governments do not want to admit it.”
Earlier this year, the UK’s National Cyber Security Center met with security bodies from more than a dozen countries to warn that organizations in key sectors must “proactively hunt” for the activities of Chinese hackers and patch weaknesses.
Meanwhile, Beijing supports Russia’s war in Ukraine and quietly supports Iran’s efforts to spread international terrorism.
A report by the intelligence and security committee highlighted very serious concerns that pose existential problems for the West. But it appears that it is just gathering dust in Whitehall and no action is being taken.
According to sources on both sides of the Atlantic, there is little doubt that the US has concerns that Chinese influence in the UK will undermine security relations and information sharing. This is why Lord Mandelson’s credentials were almost rejected by Donald Trump when he was offered the post of UK ambassador to Washington DC.
Sources told Independent “The China issue is coming to a head” in the UK. An election is due soon, but the question may be whether Britain, with its stagnant economy and high debt payments, can afford open hostility towards Beijing.
