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UK urged to stop slandering China with 'espionage threat' claim

Global Times

By Liu Xin Published: Nov 21, 2025 06:46 PM

The Chinese Embassy in the UK and Northern Ireland has issued two statements over the past few days, refuting the so-called "Chinese espionage threat" hyped by certain UK politicians and media outlets, condemning what it described as "malicious slander" and urging relevant UK parties to stop manipulating and misleading the public.

Some British newspapers claimed that some individuals in the UK have encountered fake online accounts allegedly linked to Chinese security services, which sent unsolicited messages to them. Asked to comment on this on Thursday local time, a spokesperson for the embassy said that the claims that the Chinese government uses fake accounts to recruit people or exert influence in the UK are pure fabrication.

"We strongly condemn such malicious slander," the spokesperson said in a statement on the embassy's website, adding that China is among the main victims of online fraud and cyber-attacks and that China has identified many accounts used for online fraud and malicious attacks originating from outside China, including the UK

"We firmly oppose certain individuals in the UK who habitually make irresponsible allegations against China and spread disinformation with ulterior motives. We urge the relevant UK parties to stop slandering and smearing China, and stop manipulating and misleading the public," the spokesperson said.

This is the second time in a week the embassy has firmly responded to the UK's hype about so-called "Chinese Espionage Threat."

On Tuesday, when responding to a question about reports that the UK intelligence services had issued a so-called "espionage alert," claiming that Chinese intelligence personnel disguised as "headhunters" had approached UK parliamentarians and figures from various sectors to "collect information," and that the Commons Speaker has also written to MPs about this, the Embassy spokesperson said that these claims by the UK side are pure fabrication and malicious slander.

"We strongly condemn such despicable moves by the UK side and have lodged stern representations with them," the spokesperson said. "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."

The firm responses came after Britain's MI5 security service this week issued a new warning to lawmakers about what it claims to be "attempts by Chinese agents to gather information and influence political activity," according to Reuters.

The hype surrounding the so-called "Chinese espionage threat" also reflects the fierce political struggle within the UK, and recent smear campaigns by UK intelligence services have made them spoilers in the UK government's internal debate on China policy, Li Guanjie, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Global Governance and Area Studies under Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times.

Li noted that certain politicians and groups in the UK who remain skeptical or critical of China should reassess China-UK cooperation based on facts rather than long-held prejudice - the benefits of collaboration far outweigh the so-called risks.

Meanwhile, notably, UK media have been hyping a possible visit by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to China. On Thursday UK time, Sky News reported that Starmer was preparing for a likely visit to China early next year, citing unnamed sources.

There has been no public information from either the Chinese or British government about Starmer's reported trip to China as of press time. However, the Sky News report has drawn attention among various UK media outlets. For example, in a report on Thursday, Reuters cited Sky News as saying that Starmer will visit China at the end of January, "which would mark the first visit to the country by a British leader in seven years."

This is not the first time for UK media to claim a potential visit by the UK prime minister to China. In a report in October about UK Foreign Office chief Oliver Robbins' visit to China, the Guardian claimed that Starmer "is expected" to visit China early in the new year. Also notably, Peter Kyle, the UK business secretary, visited China in September and Jonathan Powell, the UK national security adviser, also visited China in July.

Li said that maintaining stable relations with China, rather than short-term political agendas, serves the UK's own national interests, and ensuring a rational and pragmatic China policy is the sensible choice for the UK government.