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The two, ex-researcher Christopher Cash, 29, and Christopher
Berry, 32, are charged with providing prejudicial information to
China in breach of the Official Secrets Act.
Cash and Berry appeared at London's Westminster Magistrates'
Court for a brief hearing where they spoke only to confirm their
names and addresses. They did not enter a plea.
Both were released on bail until a hearing at London's Old
Bailey court on May 10. Cash was told by Chief Magistrate Paul
Goldspring that he must not contact any lawmakers, save for his
local representative and only about local issues. He was also
told not to contact any other parliamentary staff.
Anxiety has mounted across Europe about China’s alleged
espionage activity - which Beijing has repeatedly denied - and
Britain has become increasingly vocal about its concerns in
recent months.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on
Tuesday that reports of Chinese espionage in Europe were "hype"
and "intended to discredit and suppress China".
In September, the Sunday Times newspaper reported that Cash had
been arrested for spying while working as a researcher in
parliament for Conservative lawmaker Alicia Kearns, chair of the
Foreign Affairs Committee.
At the time, a lawyer for the arrested man issued a statement
denying the accusations of spying without confirming the
identity of their client.
A Christopher Cash was listed in parliamentary documents from
early 2023 as working for Kearns.
In a speech this week in Warsaw, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
labeled China as being part of an "axis of authoritarian states"
along with Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
"Chinese state-affiliated actors have conducted malicious cyber
campaigns against British MPs (members of parliament)."
Last month, the British government summoned the chargé
d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy in London after accusing
Chinese state-backed hackers of stealing data from Britain's
elections watchdog and carrying out a surveillance operation
against parliamentarians.
China denied those allegations, calling them "completely
fabricated".
The government also said in September Chinese spies were
targeting British officials in sensitive positions in politics,
defense and business as part of an increasingly sophisticated
spying operation to gain access to secrets.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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