BERLIN — A man who works for a German lawmaker at the European Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, German prosecutors said Tuesday. The arrest came less than 24 hours after three people were detained for spying for China in a separate German case.
The suspect, identified only as Jian G. in accordance with German privacy rules, was arrested on Monday in the eastern German city of Dresden, federal prosecutors said in a statement. They said he has worked for a German lawmaker in the European Union legislature since 2019.
The statement did not specify which lawmaker hired him, but German news agency dpa reported, citing unnamed security sources, that he works for Maximilian Krah of the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Other German media outlets have also linked the suspect to Krah, who is the party’s leading candidate in the European Parliament elections in early June.
Jian G., a German national, is accused of working for a Chinese intelligence service and repeatedly transmitting information about negotiations and decisions at the European Parliament in January. Prosecutors allege he also spied on Chinese dissidents in Germany.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the spying allegations were “extremely serious”.
“If it is confirmed that there was spying for Chinese intelligence inside the European Parliament, then this is an internal attack on European democracy,” Faeser said in a statement.
“Anyone who employs such an employee also bears responsibility,” she added. “This case must be clarified precisely. … All connections and background must be illuminated.”
News of the arrest came a day after three Germans suspected of spying for China and organizing the transfer of information about technology with potential military use were arrested in a separate case.
Also on Monday, British prosecutors said a former investigator who worked in the U.K. Parliament and another man were charged with spying for China.
Asked in Beijing about the latest detention in Germany, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that “the recent reports in Europe about Chinese espionage are all exaggerated with the aim of defaming and repressing China”.
Beijing urges “relevant parties to stop spreading disinformation about China’s spying threat and cease political manipulation and malicious smears against China,” it added.
A week ago, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with China’s top leaders in Beijing at the end of a three-day trip to the country.
In a strategy for relations with China released last year, the German government highlighted a “systemic rivalry” with the Asian power and a need to reduce the risks of economic dependence, but highlighted its desire to work with Beijing on challenges such as climate change and to maintain strong commercial ties.
That document promised “decisive actions” to combat Chinese espionage activities.
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