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The Foreign Secretary said he and Rishi Sunak had spoken to Chinese leaders about “interference in our democracy”.<\/p>\n
But, asked if he raised the allegations with Beijing, he said he would not comment on “security related matters”.<\/p>\n
The researcher has said he is “completely innocent”. Public confirmation of the arrest came only weeks after Mr Cleverly became the first Foreign Secretary in five years to visit China, amid efforts to develop more pragmatic ties with the country.<\/p>\n
The arrest of the Briton \u2013 who maintains he is completely innocent \u2013 under the Official Secrets Act has led some Tory backbench \u201chawks\u201d to renew calls for the Prime Minister to take a tougher line on Beijing.<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> King Charles briefed about alleged ‘Chinese spy’ in Westminster<\/strong><\/p>\n The news also sparked questions and debate about the influence and insights the major Asian power might hope to gain into parliamentarians.<\/p>\n There are concerns in Whitehall about how the staffer was reportedly able to access the parliamentary estate using a visitor pass, in part due to his links with senior Tories including security minister Tom Tugendhat and Foreign Affairs Committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns.<\/p>\n Mr Cleverly refused to be drawn on what he knew of the arrest before his visit to China, citing a longstanding convention of not discussing intelligence matters.<\/p>\n He and the Prime Minister were pressed this week over whether the matter had been raised with Chinese officials during the trip.<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Mr Cleverly told the BBC\u2019s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: \u201cWe do not comment on intelligence or security-related matters.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Prime Minister is absolutely right that both he and I raised with the Chinese authorities their actions which are seeking to undermine or distort our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n But Mr Cleverly insisted he did not regret the talks as he hit out at critics of the Government\u2019s position on China. \u201cThere is incredibly important work to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the advocates of somehow ignoring China, pretending it doesn\u2019t exist, not talking to China, not having an embassy in Beijing, and not having a Chinese embassy in the UK.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people have said that we should disengage from China. That is not a credible option. \u201cWhen there is a difficult relationship \u2013 and this is a challenging and difficult relationship \u2013 it is more important rather than less important that you maintain those face-to-face communications.\u201d<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/139\/590x\/secondary\/4964091.jpg?r=1694950957315\")
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