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UK prosecutor says a spying case collapsed because the government wouldn't call China a threat

UK officials face probe over Chinese spy case debacle  Bloomberg

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Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan

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"I don't think that Xi Jinping is going to attack Taiwan any time soon."

"Beijing's main goal is to deter Taiwan independence, rather than realize military reunification."

"There's no indications or warnings of anything imminent [China attacking Taiwan] at this time."

A Chinese takeover of Taiwan "is not inevitable nor, perhaps, even likely in the next few years."

"My thought is that perhaps this is not a time for [China] to consider a major invasion of Taiwan."

"[T]here might indeed be some greater willingness by Beijing to coerce (or even invade) Taiwan during a Trump administration."

China is "more likely to resort to the use of force" if it "perceives a higher likelihood of U.S. support of Taiwan independence."

"An invasion of Taiwan could happen within this decade."

"I think the threat [of China seizing Taiwan] is manifest during this decade, in fact in the next six years."

"Xi's team, reason, and opportunity are all aligned for [a] 2025 [invasion of Taiwan]."

Will China Invade Taiwan?

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"The way things are going, just a year in — I genuinely think he will leave. I think he will be forced out."

"Starmer might have to go in months."

"I predict that before this year is out, Keir Starmer will be out."

"I don't think he will survive a year [as prime minister]."

"I'm very confident [to remain in charge come 2029]."

"Of course [he will be prime minister till 2029]."

How Long Will Keir Starmer Be UK's Prime Minister?

The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that charges were dropped against two men accused of spying for China because they could not obtain witness statements from the U.K. government confirming China represented a threat to national security at the time of the alleged offenses.

House of Commons

GB News

The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that charges were dropped against two men accused of spying for China because they could not obtain witness statements from the U.K. government confirming China represented a threat to national security at the time of the alleged offenses.

Christopher Cash, a 29-year-old parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a 32-year-old academic, were charged in April 2024 with espionage offenses under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly providing prejudicial information to China between 2021 and 2023.</span

Global Times

Crown Prosecution Service

BBC News

Christopher Cash, a 29-year-old parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a 32-year-old academic, were charged in April 2024 with espionage offenses under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly providing prejudicial information to China between 2021 and 2023.

In a letter to the House of Commons Affairs Committee, Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson cited a High Court ruling in R v Roussev that established an enemy under the 1911 Official Secrets Act must pose a real threat to national security at the time of the offense, raising the evidential threshold.

In a letter to the House of Commons Affairs Committee, Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson cited a High Court ruling in R v Roussev that established an enemy under the 1911 Official Secrets Act must pose a real threat to national security at the time of the offense, raising the evidential threshold.

The case collapse occurred despite MI5 head Ken McCallum previously describing Chinese espionage as a sustained campaign on an "epic scale" and a parliamentary intelligence committee alleging Chinese espionage had reached every sector of the U.K. economy.

The case collapse occurred despite MI5 head Ken McCallum previously describing Chinese espionage as a sustained campaign on an "epic scale" and a parliamentary intelligence committee alleging Chinese espionage had reached every sector of the U.K. economy.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer explained the government could not retrospectively designate China as a threat since the previous Conservative government had only labeled China an "epoch-defining challenge" rather than a national security threat during the relevant period prior to the passing of the National Security Act 2023.

GOV.UK

Prime Minister Keir Starmer explained the government could not retrospectively designate China as a threat since the previous Conservative government had only labeled China an "epoch-defining challenge" rather than a national security threat during the relevant period prior to the passing of the National Security Act 2023.

This comes as Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited China in October 2024 and National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell met Chinese officials in July.

This comes as Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited China in October 2024 and National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell met Chinese officials in July.

UK: Prosecutor Claims Espionage Charges Dropped Due to Gov Inability to Label China 'Threat'

UK: Prosecutor Claims Espionage Charges Dropped Due to Gov Inability to Label China 'Threat'

UK: Prosecutor Claims Espionage Charges Dropped Due to Gov Inability to Label China 'Threat'

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UK: Prosecutor Claims Espionage Charges Dropped Due to Gov Inability to Label China 'Threat'

The Controversies

Mearsheimer

Zhao

Milley

Glaser

Ing-wen

Goldstein

Sun

Rubio

Davidson

Minihan

Rowley

News

Galloway

Gill

Starmer

Streeting

Go Deeper

Articles on this story

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