Espionage in the Digital Age: China’s Growing Intelligence Activities in the UK and Britain’s Response

2023-09-12 09:40:36
Gordon Corera BBC security correspondent

September 12, 2023 9:37 am

A UK Parliament researcher has been accused of spying for China, putting China’s intelligence activities in the UK – and Britain’s slow response – under the spotlight.

Spying used to be simple and straightforward stuff. An intelligence agency recruits an agent to steal documents stamped “Top Secret” from a safe or photograph them and hand them over in a secret meeting.

Today there is cyber espionage – stealing secrets remotely through computer networks.

The information spies need is no longer the same.

In 1911, what the authorities were worried regarding was Germany’s acquisition of blueprints for the Royal Navy’s newest ships. To this day, this can be a scientific research project related to bioengineering at a university that has never been classified as a government secret.

Prime Minister Sunak: Britain will not accept interference from China

image copyrightUK Parliament/Archyde.com

Sunak said he “will not accept” Chinese interference in British democracy, adding that he had just spoken during the G20 summit in New Delhi, India.Explain to Premier Li Qiang of the State Council of China“will never tolerate” any espionage once morest the UK.

Sunak also responded to a question from the opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer (Sir Shi Jixian) and said that during his recent visit to China, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly (Qi Zhanming) also asked the Chinese side Beijing’s attempts to interfere in London politics were raised.

The researcher, who was detained by Greater London Police, said he felt “forced to respond” to the accusations in media reports and stressed that his commitment to educating others regarding the scourge and challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party was incompatible with espionage charges.

“We urge the British side to stop spreading false information, stop anti-China political manipulation and malicious slander,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Monday.

Mao Ning continued: “The leaders of China and Britain recently met on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit to exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern. I hope the British side will stop political hype and uphold the principles of mutual respect and equal treatment. spirit and promote the development of Sino-British relations in a constructive manner.”

In response to the latest developments, “hawkish” figures within the ruling Conservative Party – including former Prime Minister Liz Truss (Zhuo Huisi) and former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) )——Calling on the government to upgrade from describing China as a “challenge” to a “threat.”

The BBC did not disclose the names of the arrested researchers. House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle (Sir Lindsay Hoyle) warned MPs not to use parliamentary privilege to reveal the man’s identity.

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Intelligence agencies no longer only steal secrets, but also engage in covert influence and disruption. This might involve identifying people who are knowledgeable regarding a policy discussion – related to sanctions, for example – and who can influence decisions in a particular direction. Whether this counts as diplomacy or political lobbying is hard to tell (and someone concealing their true identity is usually the strongest indication).

And in this new world, China poses a particular challenge. It has a vast and well-resourced intelligence network, perhaps the largest in the world in terms of numbers of people.

It does not rely solely on spies to carry out its tasks, but also involves a wide range of others – including companies and individuals – forming part of the so-called “whole-of-the-nation” system.

China’s intelligence agencies usually seek to collect information, the more the better. Some of them would not normally be considered classified and would be viewed with scorn by Britain’s MI6 service.

This will make espionage more difficult to detect.

British Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC)Report just published in the summerOutline how China conducts intelligence operations – including when it comes to politics.

The committee said: “China seems to have a strong intention to interfere with the British government and target officials and agencies at different levels in order to influence British political thinking and decision-making related to China.”

This includes encouraging people who share the views of the Chinese Communist Party to seek political office. The ISC report also stated that during an investigation of Chinese intelligence officers by MI5, it was discovered that at least one person had successfully gained personal contact with members of the British Parliament.

One of the problems is that Britain seems slow to respond to the challenge.

Audio plus text,

As the UK government declares China the greatest security challenge of our time, we ask: is the Chinese government spying on you?

Throughout the first half of the 2010s, the British government had been pushing for closer ties with China, and even in 2019, the British security services still believed that preventing interference – as opposed to espionage – was not its top priority, but the responsibility of other departments . For example, when it comes to university activities, it is the responsibility of the education department.

This resulted in an “intelligence gap”, with British spies failing to detect such activity because it was not their responsibility, and other departments lacking the expertise and capability to do so.

The ISC said: “The nature of China’s involvement, influence and interference in the UK is difficult to detect, but what is more worrying is that the (UK) government may not have explored this issue before.”

Security agencies have long complained that they lack the tools to counter the new realities of foreign intelligence services, and in particular that the Official Secrets Act is outdated. Under British law, it is not illegal to act as a sleeper intelligence officer for China or Russia.

This summer, the British government finally passed a new National Security Act that will make it possible to prosecute people who act as or assist undercover spies. But the power has yet to take effect – officials say it won’t be until the end of this year at the earliest.

The next step in the bill will be to establish an “external influence registration program”. Anyone working for a foreign country must register or face criminal prosecution. But that’s not yet in place, and further public consultation means it’s not expected to hit the road until next year at the earliest. In addition, it is still unknown whether China will be classified as an “enhanced” level and subject to additional scrutiny.

Then there are the political implications – does the UK government want to maintain a stable relationship with China for the sake of economic investment and trade? If so, what does this mean for willingness to act?

Because of this, the challenge from China is now clear, but facing the problem will not be straightforward.

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