What pro-China spies were doing in Germany on dual use technologies
Three German citizens arrested for suspected espionage activity for China
The German Federal Prosecutor's Office has arrested three German citizens, suspected of collaborating with Chinese secret services and violating foreign trade legislation.
The charges mainly concern research into technologies that could increase China's maritime warfare capability, according to the Karlsruhe Attorney General.
THREE SUSPECTED CHINESE SPIES ARRESTED IN GERMANY
The suspects, two men and a woman, were captured in Düsseldorf and Bad Homburg by Bundeskriminalamt officers. One of the men is believed to be working for an agent of the MSS, the Chinese secret service, providing information on innovative technologies that can be used in the military. Through their Düsseldorf-based company, the couple brokered an agreement with a German university for the transfer of scientific knowledge.
THE TECHNOLOGIES AT THE CENTER OF THE SPYING ACTIVITY THAT FINISHED IN THE FIGHTS OF INVESTIGATORS
The aim was to prepare a study for a Chinese client on crucial machinery components for powerful naval engines used in warships. Behind this facade the Chinese secret services operated and the project was financed by the Chinese government.
These individuals also engaged in further research projects that could benefit the Chinese navy, and illegally purchased and exported specialized lasers for MSS use, regulated by EU dual-use rules, to China.
THE INVESTIGATION
The arrests are the result of investigations conducted by the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz, which had long been monitoring the three Germans for their espionage activities in favor of China. The searches involved the homes and workplaces of the suspects, who will soon be brought before the investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice.
WHAT DOES GERMAN LEGISLATION REQUIRE?
German legislation provides for up to ten years' imprisonment for the most serious cases of espionage. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution praised the success of the investigation, noting that similar cases of proliferation, or the unauthorized transfer of military materials or technologies, occur frequently with countries such as Iran, North Korea, Russia and China .
A NETWORK OF CHINESE SPIES IN EUROPE
The people arrested and investigated had built a real network that extended across Europe and was able to establish partnerships with very technologically sophisticated companies in the automotive and space sectors, some of which had very close relations with the European Space Agency (Porsche, Audi and BMW).
Naturally, the technologies that have been the subject of espionage activities have a double meaning, i.e. civil and military, such as laser devices or naval technology. Once again, European industries prove to be very weak, very fragile and easily penetrable by Chinese espionage.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/cosa-facevano-in-germania-spie-pro-cina-sulle-tecnologie-dual-use/ on Tue, 30 Apr 2024 05:43:13 +0000.