Surveillance cameras are installed above the German and Chinese flags in front of Tongji University. Scholz is on a three-day trip to China.
Michael Kappelle/dpa | Alliance in pictures | Getty Images
Germany has arrested a national accused of spying for Chinese secret services and leaking information from the European Parliament, the German federal prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday.
The man was also accused of spying on members of the Chinese opposition in Germany, according to a CNBC translation.
The alleged spy is named Jian G. and has been identified as an employee of a German member of the European Parliament since 2019.
Local media reported that the MEP in question was Maximilian Krah of the far-right AfD party. Their offices are believed to be next to each other at the Parliament in Brussels, but the alleged spy has not been seen there, local media said.
CNBC was unable to independently verify this information.
An AfD spokesperson told CNBC that reports of the Krah employee’s arrest are “deeply concerning,” according to a CNBC translation, without directly confirming whether such a detention had taken place. The party will do everything to support the investigation, the spokesperson added.
“In January 2024, the accused repeatedly shared information about negotiations and decisions of the European Parliament with his employer, the intelligence service,” Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement, according to a CNBC translation.
G. was arrested on Monday, according to the prosecutor’s office, and a judge is expected to rule on the arrest warrant and custody arrangements on Tuesday. The allegations follow an investigation by German domestic intelligence services.
“If it is confirmed that there was espionage for Chinese intelligence services within the European Parliament, this would constitute an attack on European democracy from within. Whoever employs such a person bears responsibility.” , said Nancy Faeser, German Interior Minister, in a statement. CNBC-translated job on the social media platform
Furthermore, on Monday, three other German nationals were arrested for sharing information relating to German research on new technologies for military use with Chinese secret services, the federal prosecutor said.
The Chinese embassy in Germany did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday rejected allegations of spying in Germany, saying the “hype” surrounding such accusations aims to discredit and suppress China, Reuters reported. The ministry also said it hoped Germany would stop using the so-called threat of espionage to manipulate political narratives, according to Reuters.
Elsewhere, two British citizens were also arrested on Monday for alleged spying for China.
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