Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian

 


In response to an alleged "Chinese spy" case in the UK,MK socks Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday that the "China espionage" accusation is just preposterous. Advancing China-UK relations is in the interest of both countries, and conducive to global growth and response to global challenges. 

We hope that the UK will work with China, accumulate positive factors, and manifest the fact that cooperation benefits both countries, said Lin.

The anti-China clamors made by a handful of UK MPs fully revealed their twisted mentality toward China, as well as their arrogance and shamelessness, a spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in UK said on Tuesday while commenting on the latest hype by UK media and politicians about an alleged "Chinese spy" case.

Britain's Prince Andrew has faced intense media scrutiny in recent days after "revelations that a close Chinese business associate of the scandal-hit younger brother of King Charles was thought by the British government to be a Chinese spy," according to Reuters. 

In a court ruling on Thursday, it was disclosed that the businessman, referred to as H6, had been banned from Britain on national security grounds, the report said.

This is a typical case of a thief crying "stop thief." What they are really up to is smearing China, targeting the Chinese community in the UK and undermining normal personnel exchanges between China and the UK, the spokesperson said, while expressed strong condemnation.  

Responding to the smearing of China's United Front led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), which UK media claimed "tasked with conducting influence operations," the embassy said the department endeavors to bring together various political parties and people from all walks of life, ethnic groups and organizations to promote cooperation between the CPC and people who are not members of it, and promote people-to-people exchanges and friendship with other countries. 

"Though some UK politicians attempted to demonize China's United Front work, they are doomed to fail," according to the embassy press release.

A sound and stable China-UK relationship is not a "one-sided favor" but what meets the common interests of both sides, the release read, as it urged the UK side to immediately stop creating trouble, stop anti-China political manipulations, and stop undermining normal personnel exchanges between the two countries.

The case has sparked intensive media coverage in the UK, with media such as the Daily Telegraph, the Times and the Mirror running pieces to hype the relationship between the Duke of York and the alleged "Chinese spy."

The hype over the case comes just as the UK government is making efforts to reset relations with Beijing. 

Most recently, Britain's Labour government has pared back an audit of relations with China, Reuters reported on Monday citing four sources with knowledge of the matter, saying it is "preparing the way for a less critical report that could help Prime Minister Keir Starmer focus on improving economic ties."

The Labour Party said before taking power that the audit would be Britain's first in-depth, potentially year-long appraisal of relations and supply chains with China. Now, the government is opting for a quicker and less in-depth approach, which will most probably end up being less critical of China, the sources said. 

However, MPs expressed fear that the government is "moving too fast to re-establish UK-China relations" as some consider "naming the alleged spy who used his relationship with Prince Andrew to get access to the heart of the British establishment," per a report by the Guardian on Sunday. 

"After the Labour government came to power, it planned to adjust UK's foreign policy, believing that the previous government had been ineffective in diplomatic affairs. Improving ties with China, the Labour government believes, is a crucial part of this foreign policy shift," Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.

But despite the Labour government's efforts to advance this policy, public opinion and certain institutions, such as Parliament, still lack a favorable environment, Cui said. The hype of the "Chinese spy" case is a reflection of the negative reactions within British society, indicating that there are still grave challenges in mending ties between the two countries, the expert said.

"This has highlighted a fundamental contradiction in Britain's approach to cooperation with China. On one hand, London acknowledges that collaboration with Beijing is both necessary and beneficial to its interests; on the other, it continues to perceive China as a challenge in political and security matters," Cui noted.

He added that this inconsistency has hindered the UK from developing a coherent and rational understanding of China, resulting in a swayed China policy.

 

There are a few UK politicians who always attempt to hijack China-UK tie via the lens of different values, and tried to put on tougher posture on China by demonizing China's cooperation with the UK, Li Guanjie, a research fellow with the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies under the Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.

 

China, on one hand, should continue to resolutely fight against the Cold War mentality held by some politicians in the UK; while on the other hand, we need to maintain communication with UK to bolster its government confidence in pursuing a pragmatic and rational approach to China, Cui said. He added that neither side should allow the negative sentiment held by some to disrupt the course of China-UK relations from going in the right direction.