Three men, including a retired Hong Kong police officer and the office manager of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, were charged with assisting Hong Kong's intelligence service in gathering information in Britain on May 13, 2024. The arrests came amid growing concern over hostile states attempting to interfere with democracy and economic activity in the UK. The British government passed a new national security act in 2022 to give police additional powers to tackle foreign espionage, following concerns over interference from China and other 'axis of authoritarian states' such as Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Tensions between the UK and China escalated last year after a parliamentary researcher was arrested on suspicion of spying for Beijing. The three men appeared in court on May 14 but were granted bail during a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court. Charges against them include gathering intelligence for Hong Kong, forcing entry into a UK residential address, and assisting the foreign intelligence service. The arrests have raised concerns over the autonomy of Hong Kong's economic and trade offices and their potential role in espionage activities.
UK universities are also under threat from Chinese espionage, according to UK intelligence. Beijing funds scholarships to send Chinese students to UK universities for monitoring dissident activity on campus. Several academics have reported Chinese students who questioned their political beliefs, with some alleging the students reported them to China's embassy. The increasing reliance on foreigners for espionage recruitment has become a concern as more dissidents become vocal within the Chinese community abroad and Western countries become more suspicious of China-born individuals.
