Germany: Jian G, an aide to a far-right Member of the European Parliament, was recently arrested by German police on suspicion of spying for China. Prosecutors keep claiming that Jian G maintained constantly delivering information on the functions of the European Parliament to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).
The detention raised concerns about the safety of democracy in Europe ahead of the EU elections in June and also generated outrage in Beijing. German authorities did not disclose the identity of the politician whose aide was arrested. However, reports indicate that the individual was Maximilian Krah’s associate.
Krah is the most prominent candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the forthcoming European Parliament elections. The arrested person, Jian G, was taken into detention in Dresden and his residency was explored. According to prosecutors, he is charged with espionage on Chinese opponent figures in Germany, in addition to notifying the European Parliament’s negotiations and conclusions in January.
Nancy Faeser, Berlin’s Interior Minister, described the claims of spying as excessively severe. She stated that if it is affirmed that there was spying for Chinese espionage from inside the European Parliament, it would be an aggression on European democracy from within.
Faeser counted that anyone who operates such a staff associate also bears accountability and that this issue must be thoroughly investigated. She called for all associations and surroundings to be elucidated to shed light on the consequences.
Reports link Krah to a Russian plot that sought to affect the vote. This scheme was found by Czech espionage earlier this month. Krah was also asked by the FBI in January on suspicion that he was obtaining funds from Kremlin agents. The AfD released a brief remark noting that they find the detention problematic.
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