China, Germany at loggerheads over espionage
Four people have been arrested recently in Germany, including a close aide to a leading member of the Alternative für Deutschland party who is running for re-election to the European Parliament. Joint research programmes between German universities and Chinese institutes connected to the country’s military have come in for closer scrutiny. For a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, China is the victim of “defamation”.
Berlin (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The arrest of four people for espionage in Germany a few days before German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's trip to China is raising questions about security issues in Europe in its relations with the People's Republic of China.
The most high-profile case involves Guo Jian (郭建), a dual Chinese-German citizen. The 42-year-old, who was arrested Tuesday morning at his residence in Dresden, is an aide to Maximilian Krah, a member of the far-right populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party and one of its leading candidates in the upcoming European elections in June.
According to the prosecution, Guo provided Chinese intelligence with information about discussions and negotiations in the European Parliament and spied on Chinese dissidents living in Germany.
“We cannot accept spying against us, whichever country it comes from,” said Chancellor Scholz reacting to the news. "The allegations against the AfD are very worrying," he added.
Maximilian Krah - who is still campaigning - said he only learnt about Guo's arrest from news reports, adding that he was unaware of his activities. Yet, as an MEP, Krah voted against a resolution denouncing human rights violations in Xinjiang and said that Taiwan belongs to China.
Guo Jian is said to have been active among Chinese dissidents in Germany. But he has a very low online profile. Although he worked as an assistant to a politician, he was not a public figure and rarely used social media.
After his arrest, a picture of him with the Dalai Lama began appearing on social media.
After graduating from a German university, Guo became involved in trade with China and worked as a LED trader with his native country. In 2019, he became Krah's assistant.
German media report that Krah visited Beijing in 2019 and that his travel expenses were paid by Chinese companies.
Guo's arrest comes a day after three German citizens were also detained for espionage. The three are accused of passing military technology to Chinese intelligence in exchange for money.
Prosecutors allege that a couple living in Düsseldorf and a man from Bad Homburg were recruited by and acted for China's Ministry of State Security, favouring the export of sensitive technology to China without authorisation, at least until June 2022, for a couple of decades.
The three are accused of buying a laser for China. In addition, the couple, who worked for a university-affiliated company, procured information on military technology that could be used on military ships.
For Germany’s domestic intelligence, the case could be "just the tip of the iceberg".
Universities are considered a weak point, susceptible to foreign influence and industrial espionage. Many German universities have joint research programmes with Chinese institutes some of which are connected to China’s military.
Asked about recent reports on the matter, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that they are attempts at "smearing and suppressing China.”
Wang accuses European countries of spreading "false information about the so-called Chinese spy threat."
Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, two British men were charged this week with handing over documents and information to China. One of them had worked as a researcher in the British Parliament.
In recent months, China's massive cyberattacks have attracted the attention of Western countries. The main targets were cutting-edge technology companies, as well as Chinese politicians and dissidents living abroad.
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05/11/2022 14:55
21/03/2023 13:36
