Prince Andrew spy scandal may have further exposed threat posed by China
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Royal’s relationship with alleged spy, Yang Tengbo, should be seen as a blessing in disguise, says China analyst. Prince Andrew should be commended for doing Britain a great service according to longstanding China watcher, Charles Parton. The now marginalised royal has, the analyst observed, “almost single handedly” succeeded “in highlighting the threat to free and open countries” posed by the contemporary Chinese state.
![[Yang Tengbo seen with Prince Andrew ]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f1f41890fe0e1aaf06cfdd013726a3560e5b24e4/0_104_875_525/master/875.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The story of Sino-British has developed rapidly of late, turning 180 degrees in less than a decade. Nine years ago, David Cameron took China’s president Xi Jinping for a pint in a Buckinghamshire pub during a state visit. China, under Cameron’s premiership, was to be allowed to build nuclear plants in the UK, first through a minority investment in the site Hinkley Point in Somerset – and, eventually, it was hoped China would develop a majority owned site in Bradwell, Essex. The latter development, however, would never take place – while China has stopped funding Hinkley Point.
Meanwhile, an unrelenting cyberwar was continuing, where Chinese hackers were trying to steal company secrets. Three and a half years ago, MI5 was gingerly warning people to be wary of people using fake LinkedIn profiles, posing as recruiters, to try to fool people into spilling valuable commercial information as part of what they thought was a recruitment process. Yet even then, though the campaign was coming from China, MI5 was too coy to name the country involved.
Since then, however, there have been a rash of espionage cases, reflecting an increase in ambition. Leftwing Labour MP Barry Gardiner may not have much in common with Andrew, but a lawyer who donated over half a million to his office, Christine Lee, was named by MI5 as subject of an official “interference alert” on behalf of the United Front Work Department (UFWD) of the Chinese Communist party. She denies the claim and has brought action against MI5, claiming the alert was politically motivated by the Conservatives.
