(Bloomberg) — The UK said it is moving to stop ex-military pilots from offering training to China, warning they could be prosecuted under an espionage law.
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“When former UK military pilots provide training to the People’s Liberation Army of China it clearly erodes the UK’s defense advantage,” Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Wednesday on Twitter. “We are taking immediate steps to deter and penalize this activity.”
The ministry said it was “engaging with the individuals already involved to ensure they are fully aware of the risk of prosecution under the Official Secrets Act.”
The comments come after the British Broadcasting Corp. reported that as many as 30 people who once served in the nation’s armed forces were providing their expertise to members of the Chinese military. Some trainers were being paid about $270,000, the report said, citing a Western official who wasn’t named.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said he wasn’t aware of the report when asked about it Tuesday at a regular press briefing in Beijing.
Under President Xi Jinping, China has been intent on modernizing its military to narrow the gap with the US. Xi wants to transform a military once dominated by infantry to focus on building a navy that can protect increasingly far-flung interests, including the country’s expansive and disputed claims in the South China Sea. China launched its third and most modern aircraft carrier in June
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Xi has also overseen efforts by the PLA to escalate pressure on Taiwan, which its sees as territory that must be reclaimed, in part by sending more warplanes over the so-called median line in the Taiwan Strait.
In a speech Sunday at the opening of a twice-a-decade congress of the ruling Communist Party in Beijing, Xi praised efforts to oppose Taiwan independence. The remarks were received with enthusiastic applause by the more than 2,340 delegates in the audience.
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