London under scrutiny as espionage case against two British men accused of spying for China collapses.

London

The prosecution of two British men, Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, accused of passing parliamentary information to a Chinese agent, was abandoned due to confusion over whether the UK officially classified China as a national security threat. The case's collapse has led to political disputes, with both the current and previous governments blaming each other for legislative delays and unclear policy.

Downing Street released statements from national security advisers to counter allegations of political interference, affirming that China is seen as a significant economic and security challenge. The incident highlights ongoing tensions in the UK's relationship with China, balancing economic interests with security concerns, as officials acknowledge persistent espionage threats from Beijing.

UK-China spy case: Fallout over espionage investigation collapse

It's a botched spy prosecution that's ignited a political firestorm. Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, two British men accused of passing information on parliamentary affairs to a Chinese agent, but whose prosecutions collapsed last month because of confusion over whether the UK government classified China as a national security threat. Because the alleged spying happened during the previous Conservative government, and because one of the accused works for a Conservative MP, a political blame game is in overdrive. Had the Conservative been quicker in updating our legislation, a review that started in 2015, these individuals could have been prosecuted and we would not be where we are now. It is simply unbelievable that he is trying to say the last government did not classify China as a threat. Those spies were charged under a Conservative government, they were let off under Labour. Everyone, governments, the opposition, prosecutors and the UK's own spies agrees the situation is less than ideal. When prosecutions and convictions happen, that's great. So yes, we are frustrated when those things don't happen. This is not unique. There are sometimes reasons why prosecutions don't work. But the key thing for us to do is to disrupt threats and that's what we've done. Without a clear official position on China's threat status, the prosecutors said they had no choice but to abandon the case. But is there more to it than that? The peril for the Prime Minister comes from media reports jumped on by the Conservatives suggesting that Starmer's government deliberately engineered the collapse of the case, prioritising a cosy relationship with China over national security. Seeking to prove no interference, Downing Street has released the witness statements of Matthew Collins, one of the government's top national security advisers. China and the UK both benefit from bilateral trade and investment. But China also presents the biggest state-based threat to the UK's economic security, he said last year before the election. And in August this year, the government's position is that we will cooperate where we can, compete where we need to and challenge where we must, including on issues of national security. So laid bare here are the long-standing tensions in Britain's relationship with China. No-one in the high echelons of the British state doubts that China targets them with constant espionage. And yet, China is too big, too powerful, too important for the UK not to do business with. Rory Challans, Al Jazeera, London.

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