Chinese intelligence operatives have attempted to recruit thousands of UK officials through LinkedIn, offering lucrative business proposals in exchange for British state secrets. An intelligence officer named 'Robin Zhang' created fake identities and businesses to connect with UK officials with access to sensitive information. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China's Luke de Pulford criticized the UK government's lack of a coherent strategy against Beijing. MI5's campaign 'Think Before You Link' highlights the dangers of hostile state intelligence on social networks. LinkedIn has been criticized for lax security standards and has pledged to eliminate false profiles and state-backed activities. The UK's National Security Bill aims to facilitate prosecution of individuals passing intelligence to hostile states. Experts and Lords have criticized the UK government for being complacent about Chinese infiltration and influence.

The European Union expressed concern over the 'continued erosion of high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms' in Hong Kong in its 2022 annual report, particularly highlighting the impact of the National Security Law on the rule of law, freedom of speech, assembly, media, and academic freedom in the region. The report detailed key political events in Hong Kong, including the unchallenged appointment of Lee Ka-chiu as Chief Executive, President Xi Jinping's visit, and COVID-19 restrictions. It also noted the law's effect on foreign scholars and media in Hong Kong, leading to visa denials, self-censorship, and charges against journalists. Hong Kong activists, including Zheng Wenjie of Hongkongers in Britain and Guo Zijian of The Hong Kong Scots, called for EU support for Hongkongers fleeing the crackdown. Dr. Alicia Hennig warned of a future of self-censorship and the potential departure of multinational companies from Hong Kong due to the encroaching CCP ideology.