【By Zhang Jingjuan, Observer】A two-year-long "Chinese spy" incident finally ended last month due to lack of sufficient evidence.

The UK's Financial Times reported on October 7 that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) stated in a letter that the agency had repeatedly requested the government to provide evidence proving that China poses a threat to British national security, but these requests were all rejected. This attitude of the government was the key reason for the CPS's decision to drop the charges against two British men.

Previously, the Chinese side clearly stated that the claim that China is suspected of "stealing British intelligence" is completely baseless and malicious defamation, which we strongly oppose.

The two British men previously accused of being "Chinese spies" are Christopher Cash, 30 years old, and Christopher Berry, 33 years old. They were arrested by British law enforcement in March 2023 and formally charged in April 2024. The British prosecutors accused them of collecting and providing information detrimental to British national security and interests for China between December 28, 2021, and February 3, 2023, violating the Official Secrets Act.

Until September 15 this year, the British prosecutors announced the withdrawal of the charges against the two men due to insufficient evidence. Prosecutor Tom Little, who was responsible for the case, told the court that the existing evidence did not meet the threshold for trial, "we could not continue with the prosecution." Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb stated that she "fully agreed" with the prosecutors' decision and ruled the two men innocent.

The CPS further explained the details of the case dismissal in the letter: "(We) have been trying for months to obtain relevant evidence. Although (the government) provided more witness testimonies, none of them indicated that at the time of the alleged acts, China posed a threat to British national security. By the end of August 2025, we realized that we could not obtain such evidence. Once this situation became clear, the case could no longer proceed."

The report said that Cash and Berry both firmly denied the charges and said it was correct for the Crown Prosecution Service to abandon this "wrong prosecution".

Christopher Cash (left) and Christopher Berry (right) Media

It is worth noting that the Financial Times recently also revealed that British national security officials stated they would not testify in court that China is an "enemy," which is a legal requirement for prosecuting the two individuals under the Official Secrets Act.

Multiple senior British officials revealed that there was a major disagreement between the UK's National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and the Foreign Office and the Home Office, which advocated continuing the case, before the UK prosecutors decided to drop the charges against the so-called "Chinese spy case."

Four British officials said the conflict erupted during a meeting in September. Attendees at the meeting included Jonathan Powell, the UK's National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, Matthew Collins, the Deputy National Security Adviser, Olly Robbins, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign Office, and officials from the Home Office.

The meeting was chaired by Powell. At the meeting, officials informed the Home Office that Collins would be unable to testify that China is an "enemy."

Prosecutors' experts said that the UK's National Security Adviser's unwillingness to label China as an "enemy" in court could likely lead the Crown Prosecution Service to drop the prosecution.

However, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Crown Prosecution Service, Stephen Parkinson, insisted that the CPS's decision was not influenced by any "external pressure." A spokesperson for the UK Cabinet Office also responded that the evidence provided by the government had not changed substantially, and the claim of "Downing Street pressuring" to dismiss the prosecution was entirely false.

The conclusion of this farce reflects the deliberate manipulation of the "Chinese spy" issue by the British side in recent years. In June this year, the UK government claimed that Chinese "spying activities" in the UK had increased, and then-Foreign Secretary Lambo announced in Parliament that the current government would invest $800 million to investigate the matter.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiajun emphasized at a regular press conference on June 25 that China and the UK are both permanent members of the UN Security Council and major world economies, and developing bilateral relations and strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation aligns with the interests of both countries and the world. I emphasize that China adheres to the path of peaceful development and does not pose a threat to any country or interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. China is willing to develop Sino-British relations on the basis of mutual respect and proper handling of differences, but we will not accept any defamation and groundless accusations.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7558691229911859739/

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