Ex-UK pilots lured to train Chinese military, MoD says
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the British government is taking action to stop China from using active-duty and retired military pilots to train Chinese soldiers.
A spokeswoman stated in a statement on Tuesday that “we are taking decisive steps to halt Chinese recruitment schemes that aim to headhunt serving and former UK Armed Forces pilots to teach People’s Liberation Army soldiers in the People’s Republic of China.”
In addition to examining the usage of confidentiality agreements and non-disclosure agreements across the Defense, which are already subject to the Official Secrets Act, the new National Security Bill will introduce new measures to address today’s security concerns, including this one.
The statement was made in response to a BBC report that suggested up to 30 former pilots had gone to China to train soldiers for the People’s Liberation Army.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, denied any knowledge of Chinese recruitment operations.
He answered, “I am not aware of the situations you indicated,” at a press conference.
James Heappey, the UK’s Minister of State for the Armed Forces, told Sky News that the recruitment strategy is not brand-new and has been a problem for “a number of years.” He stated that British counterintelligence had been closely monitoring it.
“China is a rival who poses a threat to the UK’s interests in many parts of the world. It is also a significant trading partner, according to Heappey.”
The recruitment of pilots to learn about the capabilities of our air force is obviously of concern to us, but it is no secret that they are trying to acquire our secrets.
The government was putting in place a rule that would make it an offence to ignore the warning, according to Heappey, who said that people involved in the training had been approached and instructed to stop.
China is allegedly leveraging its financial and scientific might to control technologies in a way that jeopardises global security, according to Jeremy Fleming, director of Britain’s GCHQ intelligence agency, who also warned that the acts might pose “a major threat to us all.”
When former UK military pilots provide training to the People’s Liberation Army of China it clearly erodes the UK’s defence advantage. We are taking immediate steps to deter and penalise this activity:
— Ministry of Defence Press Office (@DefenceHQPress) October 18, 2022
