On Friday, April 26th, two men accused of engaging in espionage activities for the Chinese Communist Party appeared in court in London, including a former researcher for a prominent member of the ruling Conservative Party in the UK.
The former researcher, 29-year-old Christopher Cash, and 32-year-old Christopher Berry, are charged with violating the Official Secrets Act by providing sensitive information to the Chinese Communist Party.
According to Reuters, Cash and Berry had a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, where they did not enter a plea but simply confirmed their names and addresses.
Both men were granted bail until a hearing at the Old Bailey court in London on May 10th. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told Cash that he was not allowed to contact any members of parliament other than his local representative and could only contact them regarding local issues. He was also instructed not to contact any other parliamentary staff.
Concerns about Chinese Communist Party espionage activities in various European countries have been escalating, with the UK expressing increasing concern in recent months, despite repeated denials from Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated on Tuesday, April 23rd, that reports of Chinese Communist espionage activities in Europe were “sensationalized.”
On the same day, German federal prosecutors announced the arrest of a Chinese assistant to a European Parliament member, Jian G., on suspicion of acting as a spy for the Chinese Communist Party.
Last September, The Sunday Times reported that Cash was arrested for espionage activities while working as a researcher for Conservative MP and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Alicia Kearns when he worked at Parliament.
At that time, Cash’s lawyer issued a statement denying the espionage charges but did not confirm his client’s identity.
From parliamentary documents since early 2023, Cash was listed as a staff member for Kearns. It was reported that he worked for the China Research Group and accessed data related to several Conservative Party members.
He and Berry were arrested in March 2023 and charged with “obtaining, collecting, recording, publishing or communicating” material beneficial to a foreign entity.
This week, UK Prime Minister Sunak delivered a speech in Warsaw referring to China as part of the “axis of autocracy” along with Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
“The Chinese government-related hackers have conducted malicious cyber attacks against British MPs (Members of Parliament).”
Last month, the UK government summoned the acting head of the Chinese Embassy in London, accusing the Chinese government-supported hackers of stealing data from the UK’s election oversight body and conducting surveillance of MPs.
China denied these accusations, calling them “pure fabrication.”
The UK government also stated that Chinese spies targeted British officials holding sensitive positions in politics, defense, and business sectors in September last year. This is part of China’s increasingly sophisticated espionage activities aimed at acquiring classified information.