London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

China says Britain’s political interference claims are groundless

China says Britain’s political interference claims are groundless

The foreign ministry says it had no need to carry out such activities after MPs were warned about the activities of lawyer Christine Lee.

China has accused British intelligence of making groundless and alarmist claims after it accused a lawyer of conducting political interference campaigns on behalf of Beijing.

On Thursday MI5, the agency responsible for domestic security, circulated a warning and picture of Christine Lee Ching-kui to members of parliament which said she was “involved in political interference activities” in the United Kingdom on behalf of the United Front Work Department, a branch of the Chinese Communist Party.

On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin rejected the accusation, saying it was unnecessary for China to engage in “so-called interference activities”.

“Certain individuals might have binge-watched 007 movies and come up with unnecessary associations. It is irresponsible to issue hearsay alarmist talk based on one’s subjective imagination,” Wang said.

“We wish to see certain British officials refrain from issuing groundless accusations to serve a hidden political agenda by sensationalising a China threat theory.”

The MI5 alert was circulated by the Speaker Lindsay Hoyle after the domestic spy service said it had evidence Lee was facilitating “financial donations to serving and aspiring parliamentarians on behalf of foreign nationals based in Hong Kong and China”.

While Lee’s behaviour was currently below the criminal threshold to be prosecuted, British Home Secretary Priti Patel said the alert was put out to warn lawmakers about her attempts to improperly influence them.

“Anyone contacted by Lee should be mindful of her affiliation with the Chinese state and remit to advance the CCP’s agenda in UK politics,” the notice said.

Lee is the founder of Christine Lee and Co Solicitors, which has offices in London and Birmingham and in mainland China. Its website says its clients include the Chinese embassy in London and it is “the first law firm authorised by the Chinese Ministry of Justice as a foreign law firm to operate in China”.

The Chinese embassy in London said in a statement that China did not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

Lee’s law firm did not respond to requests for comment.

Tensions between Britain and China have escalated over accusations of economic subterfuge, human rights abuses and Beijing’s handling of Hong Kong – criticisms China has rejected as interfering in its internal affairs.

In November, Richard Moore, the head of the overseas intelligence agency MI6, said China was one of the biggest threats to the UK and its allies.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
×