Rishi Sunak has conveyed to China’s premier his “significant concerns” about Chinese interference in the UK’s parliamentary democracy, according to No 10.
It comes after two men were arrested under the Official Secrets Act amid reports a parliamentary researcher spied for China.
The leaders met at the G20 in Delhi. It is understood the meeting between Mr Sunak and Li Qiang, who is attending the G20 in place of Chinese president Xi Jinping, was unplanned and happened at the summit’s final session on Sunday morning.
The researcher has links to several senior Tory MPs and has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, according to The Sunday Times.
The researcher, who is in his 20s, is understood to have had links to security minister Tom Tugendhat, foreign affairs committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns and other senior Tory MPs.
A senior Whitehall source told The Sunday Times: “This is a major escalation by China. We have never seen anything like this before.”
Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, which oversees espionage-related offences, are investigating.
One of the men, in his 30s, was arrested in Oxfordshire on 13 March, while the other, in his 20s, was arrested in Edinburgh, Scotland Yard said.
“Searches were also carried out at both the residential properties, as well as at a third address in east London,” a statement from the force said.
The MPs he is linked to are privy to classified or highly sensitive information.
Both men were held at a south London police station until being bailed until early October.
Mr Tugendhat is said not to have had any contact with the researcher since before he became security minister in September last year.
Ms Kearns declined to comment, adding: “While I recognise the public interest, we all have a duty to ensure any work of the authorities is not jeopardised.”
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China pressure group said it was “appalled at reports of the infiltration of the UK Parliament by someone allegedly acting on behalf of the People’s Republic of China”.
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