 "Britain's domestic intelligence agency MI5 warned that China was using spies disguised as headhunters to recruit parliamentarians, amid concern over Beijing's activities in the UK. File image/AFP")
What happens if you receive a message from a LinkedIn headhunter offering you a job opportunity? Chances are you shall click on the message in the hope of finding a chance at better opportunity. But in the United Kingdom, these innocuous messages from ‘headhunters’ aren’t actually job advertisements, but an attempt by China to spy.
In fact, on Tuesday (November 18), Britain’s domestic spy service, MI5, issued an alert, saying that the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) was using websites like LinkedIn to build relationships with parliamentarians, in an effort to “collect sensitive information on the UK to gain strategic advantage.”
However, the Chinese embassy has dismissed these accusations as “pure fabrication. Nevertheless, this marks a new flashpoint in the increasingly tense relationship between China and the UK over alleged espionage.
Here’s what we know so far.
China’s new modus operandi: Fake firm seeks expert
On Tuesday morning, the MI5 sent a warning to UK parliamentarians , in which it highlighted China’s latest attempts at espionage. It noted that China was aiming “to collect information and lay the groundwork for long-term relationships, using professional networking sites, recruitment agents and consultants acting on their behalf”.
It said targets would initially be approached to work as freelance consultants authoring “geopolitical reports” for companies based in China. They may be legitimate companies or they may be fictitious.
“Officers use false personas on websites such as LinkedIn, which they use to spot and approach targets,” it said. “From the start, officers are particularly interested in ‘non-public’ and ‘insider’ insights as well as in understanding networks, to identify potential sources of information.”
The two examples of such cases was of Amanda Qiu, from BR-YR Executive Search, and Shirly Shen, who is linked to Internship Union.
According to MI5, Qiu reached out to James Price, a former Tory special adviser, offering a part-time job as a ‘think tank expert’. Claiming to represent a Chinese battery company, she wrote: “Hi James, Glad to friend you.
“It would be a pleasure to introduce an opportunities for academic/business collaboration. Currently we are searching for Think Tank Expert for PBG. It is a part-time job which won’t take much of your time. If you are interested we are happy to communicate in more details.”
She further added a link to a website for a Chinese company that appeared to specialise in lithium batteries. And when Price asked what PBG stood for, Qiu said: “Power Glory Battery Tech (Shenzhen) Co, Ltd, founded in 2004, is a national high-tech enterprise specilising [sic] in the research, development, manufacture and sales of micro lithium power supplies.”
While Price didn’t respond further, he was quoted as telling The Times, “It’s very worrying that the Chinese Communist Party have the resources and intent to try to engage even former special advisers, let alone MPs and senior civil servants. I hope the government is wise to the extreme threat the CCP represents and responds robustly.”
In a second instance, she wrote about a vacancy for ‘insiders’ within politics. The ad read: “You could be an expert or an ‘insider’ regarding either politics or the economy within your country. It would be best if you have a previous experience in or currently working at either gov, college or think tank, which help you [sic] being familiar with policies and giving professional and practical advice to the company.”
In Shen’s case, she wrote that she worked with Internship Union, based in Hangzhou, eastern China. She noted that it “has helped hundreds of students come to China” and described herself as “a positive Asia girl” who would “welcome friends all over world join us to get a magic Chinese experience”. The MI5 notes that she had reached out to Labour MP Josh Simons.
Reactions from the UK and China
Britain’s Security Minister Dan Jarvis reacting to the MI5 alert said the government would not tolerate “covert and calculated” attempts to interfere with the UK’s sovereign affairs.
He said that as well as MPs and peers, staff, economists, thinktank employees, consultants and civil servants have all been targeted. “I urge all parliamentarians and their staff to be wary that China has a low threshold for what information is considered to be of value, and will gather individual pieces of information to build a wider picture.
“Let me speak plainly. This activity involves a covert and calculated attempt by a foreign power to interfere with our sovereign affairs in favour of its own interests, and this government will not tolerate it.”
He also announced that the government would take several steps to try to counter China’s efforts to spy on government officials and private businesses across the country. He said the government would spend £170 million (Rs 1,976 crore) to upgrade the computer systems in parliament and throughout government to better strengthen the security of the networks.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in the UK dismissed the MI5 warning, saying: “These claims by the UK side are pure fabrication and malicious slander. We strongly condemn such despicable moves of the UK side and have lodged stern representations with them.
“We urge the UK side to immediately stop this self-staged charade of false accusations and self-aggrandisement, and stop going further down the wrong path of undermining China-UK relations.”
Previous spying allegations against China
The MI5 alert comes in the backdrop of the collapsed China spying case last month. The case against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, an academic, who were accused of spying on MPs for Beijing, was abandoned by prosecutors who claimed that the government’s evidence was missing a “critical element”.
According to prosecutors, the government refused to call China an “enemy” or “national security threat” and owing to this, the case had to be abandoned. In fact, MI5 chief Ken McCallum had then said Chinese spies posed a daily national security threat to Britain. “When it comes to China, the UK needs to defend resolutely against threats and seize the opportunities that demonstrably serve our nation.”
The matter resulted in Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer being severely criticised and accused of prioritising UK’s relations with China over its national security.
Moreover, the timing of these new revelations is also significant; the UK government has to announce its decision on approving a new Chinese embassy in London . The decision on the 20,000 square metres site has already been pushed back after Beijing refused to why the plans contained blacked out areas, and critics have long said the planned complex would pose a security issue.
Alicia Kearns, the shadow security minister, has called on the government to refuse permission for the embassy and said ministers should cancel planned trips to China. “What message does it send when, despite an attack on this House and our Parliament, ministers are happily jetting off to stride down red carpets with the government responsible?” Kearns said.
With inputs from agencies