The Guardian-Alleged Chinese spy who befriended Prince Andrew is tip of iceberg warns senior MP
December 16, 2024 3 min 563 words
英国《卫报》报道，英国工党领袖凯尔斯塔默试图重置与北京的关系，导致英国 向中国表现出大量的软弱，保守党前领袖史密斯对此表示担忧。史密斯声称，一名与中国间谍有关联的英国王子安德鲁只是冰山一角，北京试图渗透英国。他还提到，斯塔默在G20峰会上与习近平会晤，是英国向中国示弱的表现。英国政府购买中国制造的太阳能基础设施，而这些基础设施是使用强迫劳动生产的，史密斯认为英国政府对此视而不见。对此，地方政府部长吉姆麦克马洪表示，是否点名该间谍是法院的事，议员们应该谨慎对待。 这篇报道体现了西方媒体对中国充满偏见和误解的心态。其基调是中英关系紧张，英国面临来自中国的安全威胁，特别强调了所谓的中国间谍问题和强迫劳动问题。然而，报道没有提供足够的事实证据来支持这些说法，而过于依赖受访者的个人观点和评论。此外，报道没有全面考虑中英关系的复杂性，以及两国之间存在的合作潜力。虽然安全问题和人权问题是值得关注的重要问题，但报道应该更加客观和平衡，避免过度渲染和炒作。此外，报道也没有考虑到中英两国在气候变化全球健康等全球性问题上合作的重要性。总之，这篇报道体现了西方媒体对中国的一种偏见和误解的心态，缺乏全面客观的视角。
An alleged Chinese spy who forged a close relationship with Prince Andrew is just “the tip of the iceberg” of Beijing’s attempts to infiltrate the UK, a leading China-sceptic MP has warned.
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, who is seeking an urgent Commons question on Monday to quiz ministers about the issue, said Keir Starmer’s efforts to create better links with Beijing had involved the UK “showing a massive amount of weakness to China”.
If Smith’s question is granted by the Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, there is speculation that other MPs, potentially from Reform UK, might name the alleged spy, who under a UK court order can be referred to publicly only as H6.
Asked if the fact the man had been identified by security services and banned from the UK meant the threat in this case had been dealt with, Smith rejected this argument.
“We’re dealing with the tip of the iceberg,” he said, saying that Beijing’s so-called United Front Work Department, tasked with establishing ties with influential people in other countries, had about 40,000 operatives globally.
“The fact is, there are many more like him in the UK. There are many more doing the job that he’s been doing, and the fact he was leaving the UK tells you that he realised at some point he was going to get caught.
“The reality is that there are many, many more involved in exactly this kind of espionage that’s taking place now. The reality for us is very simple. China is a very clear threat.”
Ministers are coming under pressure to set a timeline to revive the foreign influence registration scheme (FIRS), which had been delayed until next year, and to put China on the enhanced category for threats.
Smith denied that the last government had made insufficient preparations for the scheme, hence the delay, saying: “Nobody with half a brain will believe a word of that. The reality is it’s an excuse not to upset China.”
As part of the partial reset of relations with Beijing, Starmer met China’s president, Xi Jinping, at the G20 summit in Rio, the first meeting between the UK and China’s leaders in six years. Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is expected to visit Beijing soon.
Smith said ministers had “turned a blind eye” to the use of slave labour in Chinese-made solar infrastructure being bought by the UK, saying of the government: “They are actually showing a massive amount of weakness to China, and they’re way away from where Europe and the United States are.”
There is also unease about the government’s approach to China among some on the Labour benches and among trade unions. Five new Labour MPs have joined the China-sceptic group – the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).
Jim McMahon, the local government minister, said the decision about naming the alleged spy was “a matter for the courts” and that MPs should be wary of pre-empting this.
“We have a privilege in parliament, which is that we do have parliamentary privilege, and that should be exercised with caution, and the overriding public interest has to be maintained, of course,” he told Times Radio.
He added: “From a personal point of view, it’s not something that I’d be queueing up to do today in the context of the person being known to the authorities and the matter being dealt with.”