China protests to Britain over phone seizures — South China Morning Post

China has lodged an official protest with the United Kingdom over prolonged questioning of Chinese citizens by border officials and the seizure of their mobile phones and other electronic devices. This was reported by South China Morning Post, citing a statement from the Chinese embassy in Britain.

Complaints about questioning and device seizures

According to the Chinese diplomatic mission, several Chinese citizens faced lengthy delays, questioning and the confiscation of devices. They included members of trade delegations, tourists and people visiting relatives.

The embassy said British border officials had explained their actions by citing provisions of the United Kingdom’s Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019. The Chinese side expressed serious concern and said it would continue urging Britain to stop what it called arbitrary detentions and questioning of Chinese citizens.

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The embassy also advised Chinese travellers to protect their personal property and privacy, follow British rules and seek consular assistance if necessary. The diplomats issued a similar warning in December, when they said that British border controls could use anti-terrorism provisions to inspect documents, phones, computers and smartwatches.

Espionage accusations

The new warning came about a week after MI5 Director General Ken McCallum’s annual threat review. He accused China of espionage, coercion and interference in democratic processes.

McCallum also said that MI5 had warned Britain’s academic community about a specific Chinese entity which, according to the service, had posed as an ordinary research organisation. He said Chinese intelligence services had used it to fund projects in Britain in the fields of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The Chinese embassy rejected these claims, calling them fabrication and slander.