On Friday, May 10th, two Britons accused of “engaging in espionage activities for the Chinese Communist Party” were informed that they will stand trial next year. One of them is a former researcher for a prominent Conservative Party member in the UK.
Last month, 29-year-old former researcher Christopher Cash and 32-year-old Christopher Berry were charged with violating the Official Secrets Act by allegedly providing confidential information to the Chinese authorities.
The London Metropolitan Police stated that the two individuals were accused of providing “articles, notes, documents, or information” to a foreign country, specifically China (Chinese Communist Party).
Cash and Berry have not pleaded guilty. They appeared in a brief hearing at the Old Bailey Court in London on Friday, where they only confirmed their names and birthdates.
They were informed that the trial will take place in the spring or summer of next year, and they were granted bail until the hearing on October 4th.
Concerns over Chinese espionage activities have been felt throughout Europe, despite repeated denials from the Chinese authorities.
In March, the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued a statement indicating that the Electoral Commission was likely targeted by cyber entities associated with the Chinese government.
According to a report in The Times last August, a Chinese spy attempted to lure thousands of British officials into divulging national secrets through LinkedIn, using large sums of money and lucrative business deals as bait.
Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, issued an unprecedented warning in October 2023, publicly acknowledging the rampant activity of Chinese spies in the UK, who had clandestinely contacted over 20,000 British individuals online.