Some officials in the UK government still operate with Cold War thinking, continuously fabricating incidents involving "Chinese spies," creating an atmosphere filled with confrontation.

The Daily Telegraph reported that UK Border Force official Peter Wei used Home Office databases to "monitor" Hong Kong "dissidents."

At 40 years old, Wei and 65-year-old Yuan Zhiming were found guilty on Thursday of charges related to being "Chinese spies," due to their involvement in a "shadow police" operation conducted in the UK.

Experts analyze that the repeated amplification by the UK government, along with certain political and intelligence circles, of so-called "Chinese spy" issues has complex underlying causes:

‌1. Domestic Political Struggle and Public Opinion Diversion‌

‌Diverting attention from domestic governance failures‌: After Brexit, the UK economy weakened, social tensions escalated, and public services faced mounting pressure. Some politicians have stoked fears of a "China threat" to create an external enemy and shift public discontent away from domestic governance shortcomings.

‌Tool for intra-party political maneuvering‌: Opposition parties like the Conservative Party have used "spy cases" to attack the Labour government's China policy as "too weak," especially when signs of improved Sino-British relations emerged (such as approval for the new Chinese embassy building in early 2026 and Starmer’s visit to China), leveraging these incidents to generate resistance.

‌2. Catering to U.S. Strategy and Maintaining the "Special Relationship"‌

‌Aligning with U.S. containment of China‌: The UK has long relied on its "special relationship" with the United States, deeply integrated with America in technology and security fields. With the U.S. persistently promoting the "China threat theory," the UK follows suit to demonstrate loyalty—e.g., swiftly responding after the 2023 "floating balloon" incident.

‌3. Intelligence Agencies’ Own Interests and Cognitive Biases‌

‌Erosion of MI5’s role‌: Analysts point out that MI5 has recently shifted from a professional intelligence agency to a tool for generating negative narratives about China. By inflating unsubstantiated claims such as "headhunting spies" or "infiltration of Parliament," it seeks to maintain its budget and political relevance.

‌Cold War mentality persists‌: Some UK politicians continue to view international order through a lens of "group confrontation," treating normal economic and academic exchanges as security threats, falling into the cognitive trap of projecting their own behavior onto others.

‌4. Contradiction Between Economic Interests and Security Narratives‌

‌Trade dependency versus security discourse divide‌: China is the UK’s fifth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching nearly £100 billion. Yet politicians simultaneously seek cooperation while stoking "spy" fears, revealing the contradiction in their policy toward China.

‌"Accusing the thief while being the thief" logic‌: The UK has long participated in global surveillance activities (e.g., the Five Eyes alliance), yet remains excessively sensitive to China’s normal activities. This has drawn criticism from China, labeling it a "typical case of the thief shouting 'catch the thief'."

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864571000205312/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.