Germany arrests married couple on suspicion of spying for China
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/53486446
> A German married couple was arrested on suspicion of building contacts with German scientists to obtain intelligence on technologies with possible military use for China, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.
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> The couple, identified only as Xuejun C. and Hua S. in line with German privacy rules, are suspected of working for a Chinese intelligence agency and of seeking information on high-tech with military applications, prosecutors added.
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> ...
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> The arrests, which took place on Wednesday, come as German authorities warn of growing security concerns from China.
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> Worried about technology transfer, the German government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who visited China in February, is seeking to "de-risk" economic ties. Beijing has repeatedly denied accusations of espionage.
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> In the arrest warrant, the couple were accused of establishing contacts with scientists at German universities and research institutions, including professors in aerospace engineering, computer science, and AI.
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> They were also suspected of at times posing as interpreters or employees of an auto manufacturer, said prosecutors.
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> Some scientists were lured to China to give paid lectures to a civilian audience when in reality, representatives of state-owned defense companies were attending, prosecutors added.
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> [...]
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> As the German-language outlet Tagesschau [reports](https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/chinesische-spione-muenchen-100.html),
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> >German counterintelligence has been warning about Chinese espionage for many years, particularly with the aim of transferring innovations and information in the areas of technology and science to China. In May 2025, the Federal Prosecutor General indicted three German nationals before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court who were said to have worked in Germany on behalf of the Chinese secret service. A married couple and a man are said to have run a company for this purpose in order to establish contact with companies and research institutions in Germany.
>
> >According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, it was said to have involved innovative technologies that could be used for military purposes, in particular the further development of boat engines, sonar systems, aircraft protection systems, drives for armored vehicles and drones that could be used for military purposes. However, the espionage charge had to be dropped during the trial. The proceedings were continued due to alleged violations of foreign trade law and are ongoing.
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> >China also spies in the political sphere. In April 2024, the Federal Prosecutor's Office arrested Jian G., an assistant to [Germany's right-wing party] AfD MEP Maximilian Krah. G. was accused of having been an employee of the Chinese secret service since 2002. When Krah entered the European Parliament in 2019, he is said to have transmitted information from parliamentary operations and about the AfD to the Chinese secret service. He is also said to have spied on Chinese opposition members and dissidents in Germany.
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> >Six months after G.'s arrest, a Chinese national was arrested who worked for a logistics company at Leipzig/Halle Airport and is said to have sent G. information, for example, about the transport of military equipment or about flights of people from the German defense industry.
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> >Both were sentenced to several years in prison; the verdicts are not yet final.
>
> [...]
>
> A German married couple was arrested on suspicion of building contacts with German scientists to obtain intelligence on technologies with possible military use for China, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.
>
> The couple, identified only as Xuejun C. and Hua S. in line with German privacy rules, are suspected of working for a Chinese intelligence agency and of seeking information on high-tech with military applications, prosecutors added.
>
> ...
>
> The arrests, which took place on Wednesday, come as German authorities warn of growing security concerns from China.
>
> Worried about technology transfer, the German government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who visited China in February, is seeking to "de-risk" economic ties. Beijing has repeatedly denied accusations of espionage.
>
> In the arrest warrant, the couple were accused of establishing contacts with scientists at German universities and research institutions, including professors in aerospace engineering, computer science, and AI.
>
> They were also suspected of at times posing as interpreters or employees of an auto manufacturer, said prosecutors.
>
> Some scientists were lured to China to give paid lectures to a civilian audience when in reality, representatives of state-owned defense companies were attending, prosecutors added.
>
> [...]
>
> As the German-language outlet Tagesschau [reports](https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/chinesische-spione-muenchen-100.html),
>
> >German counterintelligence has been warning about Chinese espionage for many years, particularly with the aim of transferring innovations and information in the areas of technology and science to China. In May 2025, the Federal Prosecutor General indicted three German nationals before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court who were said to have worked in Germany on behalf of the Chinese secret service. A married couple and a man are said to have run a company for this purpose in order to establish contact with companies and research institutions in Germany.
>
> >According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, it was said to have involved innovative technologies that could be used for military purposes, in particular the further development of boat engines, sonar systems, aircraft protection systems, drives for armored vehicles and drones that could be used for military purposes. However, the espionage charge had to be dropped during the trial. The proceedings were continued due to alleged violations of foreign trade law and are ongoing.
>
> >China also spies in the political sphere. In April 2024, the Federal Prosecutor's Office arrested Jian G., an assistant to [Germany's right-wing party] AfD MEP Maximilian Krah. G. was accused of having been an employee of the Chinese secret service since 2002. When Krah entered the European Parliament in 2019, he is said to have transmitted information from parliamentary operations and about the AfD to the Chinese secret service. He is also said to have spied on Chinese opposition members and dissidents in Germany.
>
> >Six months after G.'s arrest, a Chinese national was arrested who worked for a logistics company at Leipzig/Halle Airport and is said to have sent G. information, for example, about the transport of military equipment or about flights of people from the German defense industry.
>
> >Both were sentenced to several years in prison; the verdicts are not yet final.
>
> [...]
>