“The activities carried out by these men, on behalf of China, are an infringement of our sovereignty and will never be tolerated,” Jarvis said.
”We will continue to hold China to account and challenge them directly for actions which put the safety of people in our country at risk.
”That is why the Foreign Office will summon the Chinese Ambassador to make it clear activity like this was, and will always be, unacceptable on UK soil.”
Two men, including a British immigration officer, were found guilty in a London court on Thursday of spying on behalf of Hong Kong and ultimately China, targeting prominent pro-democracy dissidents now based in Britain.
Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, and Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 40, who worked for the UK Border Force, were convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service by carrying out surveillance on targets between December 2023 and May 2024.
The men, both dual Chinese and British nationals, had denied the accusations, while the Chinese embassy in London has accused Britain of fabricating the charges against them.
They are believed to be the first people to have been convicted of spying for China in Britain, local media reported. Wai and Yuen will be sentenced at a later date and face up to 14 years in jail.
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The jury at London’s Old Bailey court was unable to reach a verdict on another charge of conducting “foreign interference” by forcing entry on behalf of Hong Kong authorities into the home in northern England of a woman who has been accused of fraud in the city.
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