London, September 9, 2012 — Chinese intelligence agents in the U.K. have contacted more than 20,000 people, including business people, via social media in order to steal information on advanced technologies. In September, two men, including a British parliamentary investigator, were arrested in the UK on suspicion of spying for China. The British government believes that the Chinese Communist Party regime is building an extensive spy network in the country and intends to do its utmost to destroy it.
The actual activities of Chinese agents in the U.K. were revealed by Mr. McCallum, director of MI5, the British Intelligence Bureau’s security service, at a meeting of Five Eyes, a classified information sharing framework held in the western United States on April 17. The meeting was the first public gathering of top intelligence officers from five English-speaking countries.
McCallum pointed out that China is seeking to steal intellectual property related to artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computers, synthetic biology, and other advanced technologies in the UK. In one of the most prominent cases, he claimed that Chinese agents have been posing as recruitment consultants on LinkedIn and other business social networking sites, and have communicated with more than 20,000 entrepreneurs, researchers, engineers, and business people to offer sensitive technologies.
MI5 has confirmed that Chinese companies have stolen research data from British universities. McCallum also said that espionage by Russia and Iran has been frequently uncovered in the UK.
Tugenhut, the British minister in charge of interior affairs, appeared on a British TV program on April 19 and said that McCallum had told him that he was aiming to cut off the Chinese spy network as soon as possible.
The meeting of the five countries was held to warn the public about China’s unprecedentedly sophisticated methods of illegally obtaining intellectual property from the U.S., Europe, and other countries, and its efforts to establish hegemony in the fields of technology, military, and economics.
At the meeting, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Wray explained that the number of FBI investigations involving Chinese espionage activities has exceeded 2,000 cases at this point. ASIO Director Burgess also revealed that the Australian authorities had deported a Chinese agent in September after discovering that he had been sent to a prestigious Australian research institute under the title of “visiting professor” to steal information. Sankei News
