UK Gov't Backed Firm Tagged In Chinese Influence Operation For Years

The British government had been directing investors towards the law firm run by a woman accused by the country's own intelligence service of political interference on behalf of China for years, documents from its trade department show, Nina dos Santos reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: Former UK-based solicitor and chief legal adviser to the Chinese Embassy in London, Christine Ching Kui Lee speaking to former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn

On Thursday, Britain's domestic counter-intelligence service, MI5, issued an "interference alert" about a "potential threat" posed by Christine Ching Kui Lee, a lawyer with offices in China and the UK.

The alert said Lee "acted covertly" with the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to interfere in UK politics by cultivating links with parliamentarians "across the political spectrum" and facilitating donations "on behalf of foreign nationals," MI5 said.

Lee's firm was advertised on a website of the Department of International Trade (DIT) as recently as Friday, before being taken offline. In a statement, a DIT spokesperson told CNN: "The department has no record of any relationship with Christine Lee."

On Friday, China's Foreign Ministry denied that Lee was a Chinese "agent" and said Beijing "has no need and will not engage in so-called interference activities."

A CNN analysis of Britain's parliamentary register, by which lawmakers record donations, shows Lee gave at least £461,000 ($639,000) to Barry Gardiner, an elected member of the opposition Labor party between 2014 and 2020, mostly through funding of his staff.

Her son even worked in his office and had a parliamentary pass. Lee also donated £5,000 ($6,800) to the leader of the Liberal Democrat party Sir Ed Davey in 2013. It is not illegal for Lee to make the donations as the UK does not yet have a foreign agents registration act like the US, nor is it illegal for a British citizen or foreign national working in the UK to be affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.

Lee is listed as a British national in the UK's corporate registry.

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