April 23, 2024
Today at
3:40 PM
An employee of an AfD European Parliament member has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for China. The case puts strain on relations between Berlin and Beijing.
The German public prosecutor accused Jian G. on Tuesday of being employed by ‘a Chinese secret service’. “In January 2024, the suspect repeatedly passed on information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament,” the Generalbundesanwalt reported in a statement. Jian G. is also said to have spied on Chinese opponents in Germany.
Jian G., a German of Chinese descent, has worked for Maximilian Krah, a Member of the European Parliament for the radical right party AfD, since 2019. Krah said on Tuesday that he had no additional information about the case against G. “Spying for a foreign power is a serious accusation,” said Krah, who is party leader for the European elections on June 9.
If it is true that there was spying for China in the European Parliament, then this is an attack from within on European democracy.
Nancy Faeser
German Minister of the Interior
Krah previously came under fire for suspected ties with Russia. During a trip to the United States, he was questioned about this by the FBI federal police service in December. He had information that Krah had received money from Moscow. The number two on the European AfD list, Petr Bystron, was also recently accused of taking money from a pro-Russian oligarch from Ukraine to spread Russian propaganda.
Responsibility
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized the seriousness of the accusations against Jian G. “If it is true that spying took place in the European Parliament for the Chinese intelligence services, then this is an attack from within on European democracy.” She also tackled Krah: ‘Anyone who employs such an employee also bears a responsibility.’
The case puts tension on relations between Germany and China, also because three suspected spies were arrested on Monday. They collected ‘innovative technology’ for military purposes on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security. British police also arrested two suspects on Monday for “providing damaging information to China.”
China rejected the accusations and accused Berlin of political manipulation to tarnish China’s image. The arrests followed a few days after a visit by Chancellor Olaf Scholz to China. The three-day trip was all about smoothing out relations. That didn’t quite work out and the espionage cases are in complete disarray.
