UK intelligence agency warns lawmakers that Chinese spies are trying to reach them via LinkedIn

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s domestic intelligence agency on Tuesday warned lawmakers that Chinese spies were “actively” reaching out to them via recruitment headhunters.

Writing to lawmakers, House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said a new MI5 “espionage alert” warned that Chinese nationals were ”using LinkedIn profiles to conduct outreach at scale” on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security.

“Their aim is to collect information and lay the groundwork for long-term relationships, using professional networking sites, recruitment agents and consultants acting on their behalf,” he said.

MI5 issued the alert because the activity was “targeted and widespread,” he added.

The alert named two women, Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen, and said other similar recruiters’ profiles were acting as fronts for espionage.

British intelligence officials have steadily ramped up their warnings about espionage threats from China.

MI5 Director-General Ken McCallum told reporters last month that Chinese state actors present a national security threat to the U.K. “every day.”

McCallum said Beijing-backed meddling has included cyberespionage, stealing technology secrets and “efforts to interfere covertly in U.K. public life.”

In January 2022, the Security Service issued a similar security alert to all lawmakers warning that a London-based lawyer was knowingly engaged in “political interference activities in the U.K.” in coordination with the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department, an organization known to exert Chinese influence abroad.

The lawyer, Christine Lee, was accused of facilitating covert donations to British parties and legislators “on behalf of foreign nationals.”