Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what steps he has taken to tackle the People’s Republic of China’s security and intelligence network operating in the UK in response to the arrest of three alleged spies.

On Tuesday 14 May, on instruction from the Foreign Secretary, the Chinese Ambassador was summoned to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The FCDO was unequivocal in setting out that the recent pattern of behaviour directed by China against the UK including cyberattacks, reports of espionage links and the issuing of bounties is not acceptable. The summons followed Monday's announcement that three people have been charged with offences under the National Security Act as part of an investigation led by officers from the Met Police's Counter Terrorism Command. The foreign intelligence service to which the charges relate is that of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As the investigation remains ongoing, we will not comment further in relation to this case.