The government of the United Kingdom, and the broader Nato alliance, are extremely upset at the manner in which a South African company is helping to train pilots for the Chinese military. But Business Insider quotes the company as saying that exactly why the UK is now on the warpath is something of a mystery – because Chinese pilots have been training in South Africa since 2002, and the UK has always known exactly what was going on. Reporting on the issue has seen anonymous Western intelligence officials warn of threats that could include American national security and the accusation that Test Flying Academy of South Africa’s pilots from the UK are “potential traitors”. One Conservative MP has even called for such pilots to be stripped of their British citizenship.
