China on Monday denied alleged spying activities in Britain and urged London to “stop spreading false information” following suspicions about possible Chinese interference in the British parliament.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning made the comments at a press conference after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed “deep concern” to his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang on Sunday over the arrest of two men suspected of to be in the service of Beijing.
“China’s so-called spying activities in Britain do not exist. China firmly opposes these activities,” Mao said.
The UK must “stop spreading false information” and abandon “its political maneuvering against China”.
Sunak raised the issue in New Delhi on Sunday during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, a Downing Street spokesman said.
The Sunday Times newspaper reported earlier in the day that British police arrested two men on March 13 who had worked with senior British MPs for years and had access to confidential information.
According to the newspaper, one of them is a man in his 20s or 30s who has lived in China for a number of years and the other, a man in his 30s, was also detained for alleged espionage crimes under Britain’s Official Secrets Act. Britain.
Both were released on bail to appear in October while officers continue their investigation, the newspaper said.
Source: DN
