Published 10/09/2023 12:15 | Updated on 10/09/2023 12:16
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak denounced Beijing’s “interference” to Chinese Premier Li Qiang in the UK Parliament this Sunday, the 10th, after learning of the two arrests for espionage six months earlier.
Counter-terrorism officers “arrested two men on March 13” on suspicion of breaching Section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911, Scotland Yard said in a statement, and both were released on bail until October.
According to the Sunday Times newspaper, one of them had contacts with representatives of the ruling Conservative Party while working as a parliamentary assistant.
Exposure to the issue comes as London has expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue with Beijing after years of strained relations.
“I have raised many concerns in areas where we disagree, particularly my strong concern about any interference in our democracy,” Sunak said at the G20 in India after his meeting with Li Qiang.
According to a Downing Street spokesman, the Conservative leader expressed “deep concerns about Chinese interference in British parliamentary democracy”.
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