Christopher Berry, 32, and Christopher Cash, 29, were charged with espionage on behalf of China under the Official Secrets Act, according to a statement from London Metropolitan Police.
They were accused of passing articles, notes, documents or information to a foreign state and the case was described as a highly complex investigation into very serious allegations.
The crimes against Berry are said to have occurred between December 28, 2021 and February 3, 2023, while those against Cash are said to have occurred between January 20, 2022 and February 3, 2023.
The first hearing will be held at Westminster Magistrates' Court in the capital London on Friday, April 26.
According to The Sunday Times in September 2023, two people accused of spying for China were detained in March 2023 and released on bail while the investigation was ongoing.
In a statement released by the London Metropolitan Police, it was reported that the two suspects were taken to a police station in south London and released on bail until they were brought to court in early October.
The statement noted that the investigation carried out by the counter-terrorism unit, which oversees espionage-related crimes, was ongoing.
The suspect, Christopher Cash, had previously worked for the China Research Group in the British Parliament.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who met with Chinese Premier Li Chiang on the margins of the 18th G20 Summit held in the Indian capital New Delhi in September 2023, had also raised the issue of espionage during the meeting. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office Number 10 said in a statement that Sunak expressed very strong concerns about China's interference in British parliamentary democracy and said that it was "absolutely unacceptable".
