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Espionage

Espionage
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Espionage. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A mock offer of “Novichok Tea” sits in front of an effigy of Russian President Vladimir Putin outside the Russian embassy in Berlin in 2020. Photo: AFP
Britain

UK Novichok report blames Putin for ‘reckless’ poisoning of ex-Russian spy

Inquiry concluded that the assassination attempt of Sergei Skripal must have been ‘authorised at the highest level’.

Britain

Collapsed UK China spy case due to ‘shambolic’ failures, not conspiracy: inquiry

North Korea

North Korean air force to gain ‘strategic assets’ amid heightened tensions

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China-UK relations

Starmer met Premier Li Qiang at G20 in South Africa amid Beijing visit rumours

Speculation on a Beijing trip comes as Britain’s PM said he would protect UK national interests after questions about engagement with China.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday. Photo: AFP
China-UK relations

UK PM Keir Starmer to visit China in January, Sky News reports

The trip would come soon after Britain decides on the approval of a new Chinese embassy in London that critics say will pose a security risk.

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Britain

UK says ‘military options’ ready as Russian ship points lasers at British pilots

The Russian embassy said that Moscow has no interest in undermining the UK’s security as it sails spy ship on the edge of British waters.

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Britain

MI5 warns UK lawmakers of Chinese spies on LinkedIn

The ‘espionage alert’ warned that Chinese nationals were ‘actively’ reaching out to lawmakers via recruitment headhunters.

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Britain’s domestic intelligence agency warns MPs of Chinese spies using LinkedIn and recruiters to target UK politicians. Photo: Shutterstock
US-China relations

Opinion | US national security focus throws a spanner in the workings of global trade

While attention to legitimate national security interests is justified, trade matters have traditionally been viewed as a parallel sphere.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | A post-Brexit Britain in decline cannot afford to alienate China

Brexit showed sentiment without strategy ends in decline. London risks a repeat by letting anti-Beijing posturing dictate policy.

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Britain

UK man who dreamed of ‘being like Bond’ jailed for trying to spy for Russia

Howard Phillips tried to pass information about a former British defence secretary to undercover UK agents posing as Russian intelligence.

Howard Phillips was jailed on Friday for assisting a foreign intelligence service. Photo: Metropolitan Police via Reuters
China-Australia relations

Hot-button regional issues expose Australians to foreign agents: spy chief

‘More Australians are being targeted for espionage and foreign interference than ever before,’ ASIO head Mike Burgess says.

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Mike Burgess, ASIO director general of security, delivers the 2025 Lowy Lecture in Sydney. He says Australia’s community cohesion is under threat from outside influences. Photo: Reuters
Russia

Freed French cyclist describes ‘strange experience’ after Russian detention

Sofiane Sehili, who had faced a possible two-year sentence for illegally crossing the border, did not complain of mistreatment in detention.

US-China relations

US lawmakers urge Trump to press Xi on American detainees, exit bans

Legislators call Beijing the ‘world’s largest hostage-taker’ that uses exit bans and detentions as ‘tools’ for leverage.

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Britain

Opinion | Britain’s obsession with ‘Chinese spying’ says more about the UK than China

The paranoia over people with connections to China tells us less about the scale of any real threat and more about the anxieties shaping Britain’s view of Beijing.

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A view of the British Parliament in London, in September 2023. The British prosecution service recently dropped a case againt two men arrested under the Official Secrets Act for spying for China. Photo: EPA-EFE
Taiwan

Chinese spy drama Silent Honour inspires praise for real-life agents

‘Sudden surge’ of visitors to memorial park and one agent’s family home comes as series about mainland intelligence operation in Taiwan ends.

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Silent Honour is based on real events and uses the names of communist spies who operated in Taiwan at the time. Photo: CCTV
Donald Trump

Ex-Trump aide John Bolton charged amid crackdown on US president’s critics

The former national security adviser is the third foe of the US president to be hit with criminal charges in recent weeks.

Britain

China poses ‘daily threat’ to UK security, MI5 chief says

Ken McCallum confirmed MI5 thwarted a China threat last week, but expressed frustration over a collapsed prosecution of two alleged spies.

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Britain

UK’s Starmer publishes evidence in collapsed China spy case

Investigators were told Beijing carries out ‘large-scale espionage’, but the UK government is committed to pursuing a positive relationship.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during the Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons in London on Wednesday. Photo: House of Commons via Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean

Trump confirms CIA covert operations in Venezuela as he weighs land operations

Venezuela’s Maduro decries ‘coups carried out by the CIA’ as the US continues a major military build-up in the southern Caribbean.

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Britain

UK’s Starmer to release security statements after China spying case collapse

The UK prime minister pledged full disclosure of China spying case evidence, blaming past government policy for the trial’s collapse.

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US-China relations

‘Red gift bag’: US national security expert arrested over classified documents

FBI found over 1,000 classified pages at the long-time US adviser’s home amid scrutiny of his Beijing contacts.

Ashley Tellis is a prominent Indian-American national security expert and long-time US adviser. Photo: handout
China-UK relations

UK’s MI5 warns politicians they are targets of Chinese and Russian spying

Britain’s domestic spy agency warned MPs to look out for spies seeking to elicit information from them by blackmail or phishing attacks.

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China’s embassy in London. Britain’s MI5 has warned that UK politicians are being targeted by Chinese spies. Photo: Shutterstock Images
China’s Communist Party

CCTV drama Silent Honour marks rare salute to Communist Party spies in Taiwan

39-part series that premiered on Martyrs’ Day is first to hail crucial civil war intelligence provided by four undercover agents in Taiwan.

Taiwan

Beijing names Taiwanese ‘troll army’ agents stirring tensions

Taiwanese military intelligence official and media firm carried out propaganda and sabotage activities, Ministry of State Security says.

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United States

US diplomat fired over romance with Chinese woman

The State Department says this is the first known dismissal taken under an executive order signed by Trump soon after he returned to office.

The US State department logo is seen in front of the American flag. The US said earlier this year that it would restrict employees in China from entering romantic relationships with locals. Photo illustration: Reuters
China-UK relations

British government says it was not to blame for collapse of China spy trial

Conservatives have accused Starmer’s Labour government of deliberately collapsing the espionage trial of two Britons to avoid upsetting China.

Christopher Cash, who was one of two men charged with spying for China, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London last year. Photo: Reuters
China-EU relations

Far-right German politician’s former aide jailed for spying for China

Jian Guo, who used to work for the controversial lawmaker Maximilian Krah, was jailed for more than four years by a court in Dresden.

Japan

Did Amelia Earhart spy on Japan? Trump’s declassification order revives mystery

Fresh attention on the famed aviator’s final flight has breathed new life into a theory about a secret US mission over Japanese territory.

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