MI5 has warned MPs in the UK not to get involved in politics with a Chinese ally

British lawmakers have been warned by MI5 that a Chinese diplomat is “engaging in political activities” in the Communist Party of China, including giving more than $ 420,000 to a Labor member.

Christine Ching Kui Lee, a lawyer who runs her own London-based law firm, Christine Lee & Co, is accused of “sponsoring and seeking to become a politician” on behalf of foreigners living in Hong Kong and China.

MI5 warned that anyone who encounters Lee should “remember that he has ties to China and stop promoting the CCP policy in UK politics”. Lee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement to all lawmakers and colleagues, Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of Commons, said the MI5 had issued a “disruptive warning” to Lee, who he said had “engaged in political unrest on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party”.

It is not difficult for MI5 to provide confusing information to foreign nationals. Charles Parton, a colleague at the Royal United Services Institute of think-tank, said the move “shows that security agencies are very concerned about China’s actions in the country, based on traditional intelligence, which are not. influence ”.

Lee has been on the agency’s radar for some time. But the idea of ​​publishing a valid warning was reinforced by concerns that he was deliberately hiding his links to United Front Work Department, a Chinese Communist Party party that is committed to creating a foreign power through transparent systems.

The lawyer founded a group called the British Chinese Project and in 2019 Theresa May, the former prime minister of Tory, offered her. reward “Promoting action, understanding, and cooperation between the Chinese and British people in the UK”. The award was canceled.

According to the MP’s preferences, he has donated more than £ 420,000 to Labor MP and former Prime Minister Barry Gardiner.

The MP said “he has been in contact with our security agencies for several years”, and said MI5 “has always been known, and informed by me, of what he has done with my office and the contributions he has made to support.

He also said he had not benefited from the donations “in any way” and Lee stopped giving money to staff in his office in June 2020.

Lee’s son worked in Gardiner’s office until he resigned Thursday, the MP confirmed. He added: “The security forces advised me that she did not have the wisdom to show that she knew or was involved in her mother’s illegal activities.”

Priti Patel, secretary of state, said: “I know it can be a source of concern to many that a person who has deliberately engaged in political misconduct on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party is seeking counsel.”

He also described Lee’s actions as “terrorist” and said it was difficult to prosecute Lee, who he accused of being a terrorist, not a spy.

Patel is expected to speak with counsel on the matter at Commons on Friday.

The Home Office declined to comment on Lee’s nationality or why he was not deported. However, lawmakers have long complained that Britain does not have the legal power needed to deal with modern crises, such as lobbying, which cannot be easily challenged. The draft revision of espionage laws, which was first announced in 2019, has not yet taken effect.

Richard Moore, chief of the UK Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, warned in November that China is now “the most important thing ” to his organization. “China’s intelligence services are highly efficient and continue to carry out major intelligence activities against the UK and its allies,” he warned.

Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader and anti-government activist in Beijing, questioned why Lee did not oppose the deportation.

“How can a foreign oppressor be so cruel. . . how to put a person in parliament and then that person will not do anything for them but they are not allowed to enter parliament. This is not fair. ”