China has accused the UK of “creating trouble” over the Prince Andrew spy row, saying Britain should “stop anti-China political manipulations”.
A spokesperson for the country’s embassy in the UK also claimed that “anti-China clamours made by a handful of UK MPs” have “revealed their twisted mentality towards China” and accused them of trying to “smear China” and “undermine normal personnel exchanges” between the two countries.
Last week Prince Andrew’s connections to the alleged spy became the latest scandal to engulf the Duke of York, after the man was barred from the UK because he was judged likely to pose a threat to national security.
Keir Starmer has said he is ‘”concerned about the challenge” posed by China, but added “our approach is one of engagement, of co-operating where we need to co-operate… to challenge where we must and where we should.”
On Sunday home secretary Yvette Cooper claimed the government’s approach was “complex” because Britain needed economic cooperation with China – even as she warned the communist state the UK would take a “very strong approach” to national security.
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has accused a “weak” Labour government of not wanting to be seen to criticise China.
In a statement, the Chinese embassy added: “We always believe that a sound and stable China-UK relationship is not a one-sided favour but what meets the common interests of both sides.
“The UK side must have a right perception of China, see the historical trend clearly, and handle its relations with China on the basis of mutual respect, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit.
“We urge the UK side to immediately stop creating trouble, stop anti-China political manipulations, and stop undermining normal personnel exchanges between China and the UK.”
The 50-year-old director of a Chinese investment consultancy firm had initially been barred from the UK in 2023 after it was deemed he would likely pose a threat to national security.
He was found with letters addressed to Beijing’s United Front Work Department – a shadowy arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tasked with gaining influence over foreign officials – after he was detained in 2021.
He said he had “done nothing wrong or unlawful” and the “widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue”.
His case came to light after he challenged his removal from the UK at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission – which was dismissed on Thursday.
On Monday a High Court judge lifted an anonymity order so he could be identified.
Prince Andrew has indicated that he will stay away from this year’s traditional Christmas royal get-together at Sandringham in Norfolk. His ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, will also miss the gathering in what will be seen as a show of solidarity with her former husband.
With the spy’s identity revealed, MPs have raised concerns about the extent of the influence held by the Chinese Communist Party within the UK through political donations, lobbying, business deals and universities.
Sir Iain, who has been banned from entering China, said Mr Yang was “not a lone wolf”.
“He was one of some 40,000 members of the United [Front] Work Department, which the intelligence security committee report last year said, and I quote … ‘had penetrated every sector of the UK economy, spying, stealing intellectual property, influencing and shaping our institutions’.”
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran raised concerns about the university sector, and expressed anger that Peking University’s bid for expansion in Oxfordshire had been accepted.
