British and Chinese security engaged in a tense stand-off during the state visit of President Xi Jinping after a Beijing-based “spy” tried to get too close to the Queen.
The Chinese official was intercepted by members of the diplomatic protection squad when he posed as an official interpreter, according to documents circulating in Whitehall.
British officials believe the Chinese agent wanted to join Xi and the Queen in her royal carriage. When the ruse was rumbled it led to heated exchanges, according to three senior figures who confirmed details of the incident.
Tim Ripley has been writing on defence issues since 1990, for a wide range of British and international publications. He has reported from conflict zones in the Balkans and Middle East, as well as major defence and aerospace industry exhibitions around the world. Recent assignments include the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia, the Farnborough, Paris, Dubai and Singapore Airshows, NATO Headquarters in Brussels, The Hague war crimes tribunal and the Pentagon in Washington DC.
His news reporting and features have appeared in the mainstream news media (The Sunday Telegraph, The Economist, The Scotsman) as well as specialist defence publications (Jane's Defence Weekly, Jane's Intelligence Review, Jane's Sentinel, Air Forces Monthly, Air International, Defence Helicopter, Unmanned Vehicles, Flight International, Flight Daily News, World Air Power Journal, International Air Power Review)
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