Beijing’s top diplomat in London, Zheng Zeguang, has warned the UK that its recent actions regarding allegations of espionage and assistance to Hong Kong’s intelligence service are jeopardizing their diplomatic relationship. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office summoned Zheng the day after three individuals were charged with assisting Hong Kong’s intelligence service, expressing that the UK finds this behavior unacceptable. Zheng responded by stating that he had expressed grave concerns over the UK’s unwarranted accusations against Hong Kong and China, and urged them to cease their anti-China stance. This summons further escalates the strained relations between the two countries, who have been critical of each other’s actions in Hong Kong.
The summons by the UK government stemmed from charges against three individuals accused of aiding Hong Kong’s intelligence service, an issue that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson deemed “deeply concerning.” These individuals were granted bail after their court hearing. The Hong Kong government has since confirmed that one of the accused was the manager of its trade office in London. China has issued strong warnings of retaliation if the UK continues to make such accusations.
London has been increasingly critical of Beijing’s actions in Hong Kong since its handover in 1997, accusing China of violating its promise to govern under the “one country, two systems” principle. The UK has consistently condemned the national security law implemented by China, which it claims erodes freedoms and rights, and has expressed concern over the crackdown on pro-democracy activists in the former colony. Zheng alleged that the UK is harboring wanted criminals by offering residency and a potential path to citizenship to dissident Hong Kongers.
These tensions are compounded by UK criticism of alleged human rights violations against the Uyghur minority in China. Last month, two individuals, one a former UK parliamentary researcher, were charged with espionage for China, which Beijing has denied. The head of the UK’s intelligence and security agency, GCHQ, has warned that China poses a genuine and growing cyber risk. Anne Keast-Butler, the director of GCHQ, emphasized that China has developed advanced cyber capabilities and is exploiting a thriving commercial ecosystem of hacking organizations and data brokers. She added that China’s coercive and destabilizing actions pose a significant threat to global norms and values, requiring GCHQ to allocate more resources to addressing China-related threats than any other single mission.
In March, the UK, US, and New Zealand collectively denounced Beijing-backed cyber groups for orchestrating attacks on lawmakers and critical democratic institutions.
