
"In a world of identikit bureaucrats, Cai Qi, the man described as Xi Jinping's top lieutenant and recently revealed as the suspected ringleader of an alleged Westminster Chinese spy ring, stands out. As the fifth-ranking member on the standing committee of the Chinese Communist party's (CCP) ruling politburo, Cai is one of the most powerful people in China. But his importance outstrips even his senior title, because as the Chinese leader's de facto chief of staff, he is also effectively the gatekeeper and right-hand man to Xi himself."
"On Wednesday, in a bid to fight back criticism that Downing Street had sabotaged the trial of two men accused of spying for China, the government released in full the witness statement written by a deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The statement confirmed previous reporting by the Guardian that Cai was suspected to be in receipt of intelligence about British politics that came from Christopher Cash, a parliamentary researcher, through Christopher Berry, a teacher who lived in China."
Cai Qi serves as the fifth-ranking member of the CCP politburo and functions as Xi Jinping's de facto chief of staff and gatekeeper. He is noted for avoiding black hair dye and speaking with a heavy Fujian accent rather than standardised Mandarin. A government-released witness statement by deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins implicated Cai as a suspected recipient of intelligence about British politics transmitted via Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry. The Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges against Cash and Berry on 15 September. Cash and Berry maintain their innocence. Cai was party secretary for Beijing in 2022 and was promoted to that role in 2017.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]