Close aide to Xi Jinping was suspect in dropped Westminster spy case

British prosecutors suspected that China's fifth most senior official was in receipt of intelligence from Westminster in a controversial and now-abandoned espionage case, the Guardian understands.

- Amy Hawkins Dan Sabbagh

Cai Qi, China's fifth most senior official, waves as he enters the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for the National Day reception on Tuesday

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in April 2024 that a “senior member of the Chinese Communist party [CCP] and a politburo member” had received “politically sensitive information” from two British researchers who were charged with spying for China.

That person is understood to be Cai Qi, a member of the standing committee of the CCP politburo. The committee is the ruling body of the CCP and is headed by Xi Jinping, China's all-powerful leader.

Cai, a Xi protege, is the fifth-ranking member of the seven-man committee, making him one of the most powerful men in China.

A former party secretary for Beijing, Cai is also a director of the CCP's general office, making him de facto chief of staff to Xi.

Last month the CPS dropped the charges against the two researchers, Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash, citing a lack of evidence.