Two men first in British history to be found guilty of spying for China

The Guardian reports that Chi Leung Wai, a UK Border Force officer at Heathrow, and Chung Biu Yuen, a Hong Kong trade official in London, have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of assisting a foreign intelligence service—making them the first people convicted of spying for China in British history. They conducted a "shadow policing" operation surveilling Hong Kong pro-democracy dissidents and activists in the UK, including exiled politician Nathan Law and British politicians like Iain Duncan Smith; Wai also illegally accessed Home Office databases and was convicted of misconduct in public office. The reporting is bylined to chief reporter Daniel Boffey and provides substantial detail: specific targets, the operational methods (infiltration of activist groups, database searches), jury deliberation timelines (23+ hours), the majority verdict delivery, and corroborating statements from Home Office officials; Reuters and BBC coverage independently confirm the convictions and key facts. Watch for sentencing by Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb at a later date, as well as the Foreign Office's response after summoning the Chinese Ambassador—the case also raises questions about vetting failures within UK security agencies that allowed Wai access to sensitive systems.