German lawmaker’s aide arrested for spying
Jian G. is accused of sharing information about negotiations at European Parliament with a Chinese intelligence service
FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — An aide to a German far-right member of the European Parliament has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, German prosecutors said Tuesday, deepening concerns about foreign interference ahead of June’s European Union elections.
The arrest, coming a day after three other people suspected of spying for China were detained in Germany, sparked an angry reaction from Beijing.
It was also a new blow for the far-right party AfD which has been battling a series of scandals, including claims that some of its members have links to Russia.
The man, identified only as Jian G., stands accused of sharing information about negotiations at European Parliament with a Chinese intelligence service and of spying on Chinese opposition figures in Germany, federal prosecutors said in a statement.
On the website of the European Parliament, Jian Guo is listed as an accredited assistant to MEP Maximilian Krah, the far-right AfD party’s lead candidate in the forthcoming EU-wide elections.
Guo is a German national who has reportedly worked as an aide to Krah in Brussels since 2019.
But prosecutors said the suspect “is an employee of a Chinese secret service.”
“In January 2024, the accused repeatedly passed on information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament to his intelligence service client.
“He also spied on Chinese opposition members in Germany for the intelligence service.”
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser called the allegations “very serious” and demanded a thorough investigation.
“If it is confirmed that spying for China is happening from the European parliament, then that is an attack on European democracy from within,” she said.
In Beijing, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “The intention of this kind of hype is very obvious... it is to smear and suppress China and to destroy the atmosphere of cooperation between China and Europe.”