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China holds top official as "British spy"
China has taken a top Hong Kong official into custody on suspicion of spying for the UK in the biggest espionage incident between the two countries since the 1997 handover of the British colony to Chinese rule. Communist party sources and western diplomats said Friday that Cai Xiaohong, secretary-general of the Liaison Office of the Central Government in Hong Kong, had been detained sometime after Tony Blair, the UK prime minister, had visited China and Hong Kong in July. It was not clear exactly why Mr Cai was detained but one party source said he had been leaking state secrets to the British. He is thought to have received payment for the secrets that he betrayed, a diplomat said.A Hong Kong magazine, Open, said Cai leaked the itinerary of Jiang Zemin, Chinaâs then president, to Hong Kong in 2001 for celebrations marking the anniversary of the territoryâs return to Chinese rule. Two accomplices also have been detained, according to the Hong Kong media. The incident was unlikely to upset UK-China relations, which have been warming in the years since the 1997 handover. Mr Blairâs visit to China last year was regarded as a success and Wen Jiabao, Chinaâs premier, is scheduled to visit the UK in May this year. The fact that the spying charges have been kept secret for months is another indication that Beijing may not plan to make Mr Caiâs activities a source of bilateral friction, observers said. Mr Cai comes from a senior official family. His father, Cai Cheng, was minister of justice in the late 1980s. The biggest espionage case in China in recent years involved bugs that were planted in the upholstery of a Boeing 767 that was being fitted in the US before its intended use as Mr Jiangâs presidential plane. The bugs were discovered in 2001 shortly after the planeâs arrival in China because of a humming sound they emitted. The bugging incident did not lead to any appreciable souring in US-China relations. Analysts say China, which conducts a vigorous espionage programme on foreign countries, is resigned to the fact that other countries will try to spy on it. Nevertheless, General Liu Taichi, youngest son of one of Chinaâs 10 marshals, as deputy head of the air force commandâs equipment department, was fired from his job because of the bugging incident, officials said. He was also given a suspended prison sentence. Posted by: rkb 2004-01-16 |
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