Thegovernment of thePeople's Republic of China (PRC) and various organs of theChinese Communist Party (CCP) have conducted surveillance and espionage in the United Kingdom, according to top UK national security officials such as the head of its domestic intelligence agencyMI5.[1][2] UK officials, including experts at its MI5, have long been fearful that the PRC could shut down businesses in the nation withcyberattacks and spy equipment embedded in computer and telecommunications equipment.[3][4][5]
According toRobert Hannigan, formerDirector of the Government Communications Headquarters, Chinese hackers have engaged in economic espionage against British universities and engineering companies, on behalf of the Chinese government.[6][7]
MI5 has reportedly monitored Chinese espionage againstRio Tinto Group computers.[8]
In February 2021, the United Kingdom expelled threeMinistry of State Security (MSS) officers who had been posing as journalists with Chinese media agencies.[9]
In 2021, anadvanced persistent threat group associated with theHubei State Security Department inWuhan,APT31, targeted the emails ofInter-Parliamentary Alliance on China members and 43 United Kingdom parliamentary accounts.[10][11]
In September 2023, British media reported that a British diplomat at the British embassy in Beijing discovered alistening device in theteapot that the Chinese officials gave to the diplomat as a farewell gift. After returning to Britain, the diplomat found the hidden bug inside the teapot when it was accidentally dropped and smashed on the floor.[12]
In 2023 it has been revealed that an individual known as "H6" orYang Tengbo, alleged to be a Chinese spy, has been at the center of a controversy involving the UK government andthe royal family.[13][14][15] H6 had connections withAndrew Mountbatten Windsor, and was invited to his birthday celebration in 2020. A royal aide, Dominic Hampshire, had given H6 permission to act on Andrew's behalf when dealing with potential investors in China. The Home Office, under then-Home Secretary,Suella Braverman, barred H6 from entering the UK in 2023 due to alleged engagement in "covert and deceptive activity" on behalf of theChinese Communist Party (CCP). A specialized tribunal in London upheld this decision, ruling that Braverman was justified in deeming H6 a risk to national security. A judge ruled the Chinese spy allegedly had an unusual degree of trust from the royal. Housing Minister,Jim McMahon, stated that revealing H6's identity is a matter for the courts, despite growing demand among MPs for more details. Former Conservative leader,Iain Duncan Smith, plans to pose an Urgent Question in parliament regarding the United Front Work Department, which is reportedly linked to H6. Sir Iain Duncan Smith has also warned there are many more like H6 in the UK. TheChinese embassy in London has denied the allegations, accusing some UK individuals of fabricating "spy" narratives to discredit China. Prince Andrew has ceased all contact with H6 following government concerns, while there are warnings of potential additional espionage activities in the UK. Home Secretary,Yvette Cooper, emphasized the need to balance economic collaboration with China while addressing national security threats. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,Keir Starmer, has raised his concerns of the challenge China poses.[16]
In addition to concerns about espionage, MI5 is also worried about China covertly gaining influence.[17] In January 2022, BBC reported that MI5 issued a rare warning to UK Parliament Members (MPs), alleging that a Chinese agent,Christine Ching Kui Lee, had infiltrated the Parliament to interfere in UK politics on behalf of the Chinese government. According to the warning, Lee "established links" with current and aspiring MPs on behalf of the CCP and provided donations to politicians, funded by foreign nationals in China and Hong Kong.[17][18] In December 2024, Christine Lee lost a legal challenge against MI5. She claimed that the security alert issued against her was politically motivated and violated her human rights.[19] However, theInvestigatory Powers Tribunal unanimously rejected her case, with all three judges affirming that MI5 had acted for "legitimate reasons."[20][21]
In January 2024, China'sMinistry of State Security announced the arrest of a man with triple citizenship, accused of spying for theUK's MI6. The man, surnamedHuang, had allegedly gathered state secrets on repeated trips to China. In March of the same year, the UK and the U.S. jointly sanctioned Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology, a front company of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, and affiliated individuals forcyber intrusions targeting critical infrastructure and theUK Electoral Commission.[22][23][24] The espionage theme continued in April 2024, when two individuals were charged in the UK under theOfficial Secrets Act for allegedly spying on behalf of China.[25] A month later, in May, theUK Ministry of Defence confirmed a cyberattack linked to China that compromised payroll data, including personal and financial details of defence personnel.[26]
In November 2025, MI5 warned that Chinese intelligence operatives had been usingLinkedIn to contact UK parliamentarians and other influential figures through seemingly legitimate recruiter profiles, such as those attributed to "Amanda Qiu" and "Shirly Shen," to gather information and cultivate long-term relationships; the agency said these actors conducted large-scale outreach via professional-networking sites, sometimes shifting conversations to encrypted platforms, and targeted MPs, think-tank analysts, consultants, and government officials. Fake Emails and Gmail accounts aimed at academicians and politicians were also reportedly part of such activities. Impersonators claimed to have been working for an 'IBM research center' and Google's 'AI Division'.[27][28]
In October 2025, the proposed acquisition of theTelegraph Media Group by China-linked RedBird Capital Partners sparked controversy after reports linked its chair, John Thornton, toCai Qi, a senior Chinese Communist Party official, raising concerns over potential foreign influence in UK media, though RedBird denied any Chinese involvement.[29]
In October 2025 theDirector of Public Prosecutions controversially dropped charges under theOfficial Secrets Act 1911 against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry. Cash has been a Parliamentary researcher forAlicia KearnsMP. He had also been director of theConservative MP'sChina Research Group.[30] Investigators suspected that intelligence from the pair about Westminster had been passed toCai Qi.[31]
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