British spy spared death sentence

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The Times
From Oliver August in Beijing



A SENIOR Chinese official accused of spying for Britain has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after a secret trial.

Cai Xiaohong, formerly Beijing’s representative in Hong Kong, took £380,000 in cash from British Intelligence services, according to media reports in the former British colony.

Analysts told The Times that they were surprised that Mr Cai had not received the death penalty and speculated that he may have given valuable information on MI6 operations in China to Beijing under a plea bargain. Mr Cai is the highest- ranking Communist cadre on the mainland to have been convicted of spying for a foreign power.

His downfall coincided with Tony Blair’s most recent visit to Hong Kong, in 2003, and his arrest was first made public this year. Wei Pingyuan, a lower- ranking official who helped to recruit Mr Cai, is said to have also been tried in Guangzhou last week.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-1350367,00.html