U.K. accuses China of operating institute as front for espionage

LONDON — A prominent Chinese research institute based in Beijing secretly operates as a front for the country’s main spy agency, aiming to acquire sensitive technologies and expertise from Western universities and laboratories, British intelligence officials said Wednesday. Democracy Dies in Darkness U.K. accuses China of operating institute as front for espionage The “espionage alert” issued by MI5 is part of an extraordinary shift by the British government to raise public alarms about the scale and threat of Chinese espionage.