UK media said more than 30 former pilots had accepted China’s proposals.
London:
The UK government said on Tuesday it was taking “decisive steps” against a Chinese recruiting effort to bring in former and serving British Air Force pilots to train its military personnel.
While British military personnel often participate in training exercises with foreign forces, any collusion by ex-pilots with China – which London has dubbed the “number one threat” to domestic and global security – is a serious concern. .
A spokesman for the British Defense Ministry told AFP: “We are taking decisive steps to halt Chinese recruitment schemes, which are seeking former pilots from the UK Armed Forces to train personnel for the People’s Liberation Army. “
Armed Forces Minister James Happy admitted to broadcaster Sky News that such cooperation “has been a concern within the Defense Ministry for years”.
“Our counter-intelligence people are watching this closely,” he said.
“Recruiting pilots to understand the capabilities of our Air Force is clearly a concern for us and the intelligence part of the Ministry of Defense.”
Happy said officials are warning the pilots involved to step down.
“We’re going to make a law that once people have been given that warning, it will be a crime to go ahead and continue that training,” he said.
UK media said more than 30 former pilots had accepted the offer of more than £240,000. Many of those recruited are in their 50s and have recently left the British Air Force.
The report said that this practice has been going on since 2019 but has been intensified recently.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said it was “reviewing the use of privacy contracts and non-disclosure agreements”, adding that all serving and former employees are subject to the Official Secrets Act, which grants UK public servants access to foreign powers. Prohibits the sharing of state secrets with
“The new National Security Bill will create additional tools – including this – to address contemporary security challenges,” the spokesperson said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin denied any information about such employment of British pilots, telling a regular press briefing: “I am not aware of the circumstances you mentioned.”
Relations between London and Beijing have soured after China’s crackdown in Britain’s former colony of Hong Kong and technology giant Huawei’s involvement in the roll-out of Britain’s 5G network, as well as concerns about human rights and influence peddling I have concerns.
In a speech in London this month, Jeremy Fleming, the director of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency, warned China’s growing technological dominance as “an increasingly urgent problem” for Western countries, asking them to protect their values and influence. urged to work.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)