- Another district of Chinatown - 24th March 2026
- Paper trail - 23rd March 2026
- The fog of war - 20th March 2026
Disturbing news about a purported top-level meeting between a right hand man of Donald Trump and a Welshman accused of spying for China, once again highlights the central role of Wales in this extraordinary story.
It’s been alleged in The Sunday Times (ST) that Ruthin-born David Taylor met US Secretary of State (SoS) Marco Rubio in December 2024 to talk about the Chagos Islands.
It was reported that Mr Taylor told associates he had met him soon after he was nominated by Mr Trump to be the most senior foreign policy executive in his new administration.
This shocking information only serves to underline how his home was raided, along with those of others in Wales, as he and two others were arrested on suspicion of spying for China this month, although all three have now been released on bail. A car outside a property in Pontyclun was searched too.
As well as Mr Taylor, those detained were Steve Jones (a former Welsh Government [WG] Special Adviser [SPAD]), and Matthew Aplin, a one-time Labour Press Officer (PO).
A senior journalist who was once the Chief Reporter of Cardiff-based paper The Western Mail, but who is now Associate Editor with the nationalist website Nation.Cymru (NC), also had his home raided during the investigation.
Martin Shipton declared that he did not have any connection with the Chinese government, and has never had any financial involvement with them.
Mr Shipton wrote after the raid: “I was utterly bemused by what was being suggested”. He said it was like a dream and a terrifying experience when officers smashed their way into his house.
Even so it seems that others are unhappy with what has emerged as uncontested evidence, and there have been accusations of ‘hypocrisy’ over the trip to China.
The online site Voice of Wales (VoW) which has been described on the internet as a “…a far-right media outlet run by Dan Morgan and Stan Robinson” has been highly critical of Mr Shipton.
In a recent post Mr Robinson (who styles himself ‘Defence and Security’ analyst) questioned why the trip was not made public before.
Promoting himself for UKIP at the 2024 election, he proclaimed: “I’m one of the co-founders of the Voice of Wales media channel (VoW), Secretary to No13 (Carmathen) Group Royal Observer Corps Association, a former Senior Estates and Contracts Manager for both the NHS and Ministry of Defence”.
Mr Robinson announced: “If it really was so innocent, why not write about it at the time? Why not declare it? Why not treat your readers to the same scrutiny you demand of everyone else?”,
Police said all those arrested had been held on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service under section three of the National Security Act (NSA), which was introduced in 2023 to target suspects accused of working against UK interests. They were bailed until a date in May and enquiries are continuing.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London at the Metropolitan Police (Met) proclaimed: “We have seen a significant increase in our casework relating to national security in recent years, and we continue to work extremely closely with our partners to help keep the country safe and take action to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it.
She said the arrests were “part of a proactive investigation and while these are serious matters, we do not believe there to be any imminent or direct threat to the public relating to this”.
The First Minister of Wales (FMW), Eluned Morgan was cautious in her response to these incredible events.
In a short written statement Ms Morgan said she was “aware of the three arrests”, but added: “These are serious allegations and it is vital that we do not hamper the work of the police in any way or prejudice any future legal process”.
The Welsh Conservatives (WC) had called for a statement from the FMW on the arrests, saying “we need to ensure that Wales is not a weak link when it comes to the UK’s national security”, and they stressed that there were issues for Ms Morgan to address.
There are more questions being raised today, with the news that a Welshman who has been arrested for alleged spying, may have held a meeting with the controversial US SoS.
But through all these details being reported in a UK newspaper, one thing is certain – the central role of Wales is assured…
The memories of our Editor, Welshman Phil Parry’s decades-long award-winning career in journalism (when commenting on important stories like these was always paramount), as he was gripped by the rare disabling condition Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), have been released in a major book ‘A GOOD STORY’. Order it now!
Tomorrow – why the naming of the best places to live in Wales only serves to underline how the Iran war and huge global upheavals in recent years, have devastated tourism around the world.
