Chinese authorities say they have detained a man accused of collecting state secrets on behalf of Britain’s MI6 foreign intelligence service, APNews reports.
The Ministry of State Security said on social media on Monday that Britain had been co-operating with the man, who it said was a third-country national and surnamed Huang, since 2015.
The ministry said Huang was trained in intelligence gathering, equipped and collected many state secrets during repeated visits to China.
China’s legal system lacks a clear definition of state secrets, and many consulting and advisory firms have been investigated for obtaining data that would normally be in the public domain, especially if it was given to foreign organisations.
London has not yet commented on the allegations, but they follow a deterioration in relations between the two sides, caused in particular by Britain’s opposition to Chinese investment in the country, especially in the energy and communications sectors, where the ruling Communist Party has a strong influence.
Britain has also been highly critical of China’s restrictions on political rights in Hong Kong, a former British colony, where Beijing responded to violent anti-government protests in 2019 by introducing a sweeping national security law and changes to the electoral system. These measures have largely wiped out any political opposition to Beijing’s edicts and silenced free speech in Hong Kong, which has been one of Asia’s most vibrant societies and a major financial centre.
