Britain’s MI5 warns lawmakers over Chinese spies posing as ‘headhunters’

Beijing denies the claim, which comes weeks earlier the authorities indispensable determine whether to o.k. a new Chinese embassy.

Britain’s home quality bureau is informing the country’s lawmakers and universities of espionage attempts by China utilizing spies posing arsenic headhunters, among different tactics.

In a informing issued to lawmakers connected Tuesday, Britain’s MI5 information work warned Parliament that China was utilizing spies disguised arsenic headhunters to enlistee parliamentarians, with 2 individuals reaching retired connected LinkedIn to “conduct outreach astatine standard connected behalf” of the Chinese government.

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“Earlier today, MI5 issued an espionage alert” to Parliament and parliamentary unit “to pass them astir ongoing targeting of our antiauthoritarian institutions by Chinese actors”, Security Minister Dan Jarvis told the House of Commons connected Tuesday.

“Our quality agencies person warned that China is attempting to enlistee and cultivate individuals with entree to delicate accusation astir Parliament and the UK government,” said Jarvis.

In October, MI5 said Chinese spies were creating fake occupation advertisements to effort to lure British professionals into handing implicit information, with thousands of suspicious postings placed connected online recruitment platforms.

Beijing promptly denied the accusations, calling connected Britain to halt its “self-aggrandisement”.

“We impulse the UK broadside to instantly halt this self-staged charade of mendacious accusations and self-aggrandisement, and stop going further down the incorrect way of undermining China-UK relations,” a spokesperson astatine the Chinese embassy successful London said, adding that Beijing had “lodged stern representations” with the UK government.

Jarvis besides warned that Britain’s universities were the people of Chinese attempts to power their “independent probe and interfere with enactment connected campus.” He said ministers would clasp a closed lawsuit with assemblage leaders to item the risks of overseas interference.

The caller informing comes aft British prosecutors abandoned a lawsuit successful September against 2 British men charged with spying connected members of parliament (MPs) for China, saying the British authorities had not provided wide grounds to amusement that Beijing was a menace to its nationalist security.

The illness of the lawsuit led to accusations from absorption politicians that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was prioritising amended relations with Beijing implicit nationalist security. The authorities denies the claims.

The informing besides comes conscionable weeks earlier the authorities indispensable determine whether to o.k. a monolithic caller Chinese embassy successful London that critics accidental volition airs a information risk.

Last year, the United Kingdom banned a Chinese businessman with alleged links to then-Prince Andrew, present known arsenic Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, from entering the country, saying the alleged spy posed a nationalist information risk.

The antheral had reportedly go a “close confidant” of scandal-hit Andrew and was invited to royal residences, specified arsenic Buckingham Palace. The antheral besides allegedly met with 2 erstwhile UK leaders connected assorted occasions.