Massive investment in British Information Services, after a report on China: “It represents a sophisticated and persistent threat”

Chinese espionage and Beijing attempts to undermine Democracy and Economy of Britain have intensified in recent years, warned the British government on Tuesday in a report on China, AFP reports.

British Foreign Affairs Minister David Lammy told the Parliament that the Labor Administration will invest 600 million pounds (about 703 million euros) in information services, as a result of the reports.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer commissioned an “audit” of relations between the UK and China after taking power in London, following the victory from the general elections of July 2024.

The report was published on Tuesday and recommends a high level collaboration with China for a “commercial and investment relationship”, but also the construction of “resilience” against the threats represented by Beijing.

“China is a sophisticated and persistent threat,” but “not interacting with China” is not an option, Lammy told British MPs.

“Like our closest allies, we will cooperate where we can and challenge where we need it,” he explained, noting that this means “never compromise our national security.”

Prime Minister Starmer hopes that Chinese investments can help him achieve his main mission to relaunch the British economy.

However, the divergences in the War of Russia in Ukraine, the treatment of Beijing towards the UIGs and the situation in Hong Kong, including the arrest of the businessman in the Jimmy Lai media area, are obstacles in the repair of relations between the UK and China.

In a coordinated letter of reporters without borders (reporters without borders), 33 organizations around the world asked Keir Starmer to have a meeting with Lai's son, Sebastian.

“As a British citizen who is facing an inconceivable attempt, Sebastien Lai deserves to hear directly from the prime minister who makes the United Kingdom to ensure the release of his father,” the letter signed by organizations as Amnesty International and Human Rights Foundation shows.

The spy accusations have in turn affected the relationships in recent years, including those that a Chinese businessman used by the ties with Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom to spy on behalf of the Communist Party.

According to the report published on Tuesday, “the cases of espionage, interference in our democracy and undermining our economic security from China have increased in recent years.”