Frank Creyelman, Belgian MP for the far-right Flemish party Vlaams Belang (VB) between 2007 and 2014, received a first text message on July 3, 2019: “Could you write me a report on Charles Michel, about his political opinions, his personality, his hobbies and his opinion on our country [la Chine] ? » The day before, Charles Michel, the Belgian Prime Minister (from 2014 to 2019), had been elected President of the European Council, one of the most strategic positions in the European Union.
Three days later, the former parliamentarian, now 62 years old, received a reminder. As a first report, he repeats some clichés from the extreme right: the Belgian leader would have ” bought ” his new position through political maneuvering; it would be linked to “internationalists close to George Soros”, the American billionaire of Hungarian origin, regularly targeted by the far right. “He loves money, but is not friends with China or Russia,” concludes Frank Creyelman.
Who is he talking to ? According to hundreds of messages obtained by the German weekly Der Spiegel, British and French daily newspapers Financial Times And The world, the European politician then exchanges with a Chinese intelligence agent, who calls himself “Daniel Woo”.
At least until 2022, he contacts his Belgian contact very regularly. In the text messages consulted by the journalists, written in English, this man of unknown age, of whom there appears to be no photograph online, asks for information on confidential meetings organized at the European Parliament, inquires about the recruitment of potential sources and entrusts some “missions”. The agent notably proposes the broadcast of elements of pro-Chinese language, about Covid-19, the Uighurs – the oppressed Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region – or the demonstrations for democracy in Hong Kong, harshly repressed by Beijing.
An officer from the Ministry of State Security
In 2022, in anticipation of visits to China by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron, Daniel Woo summarizes his influence operation in the West in a text message: “We would like to make the United States sick. » Contacted, the spy and his contact did not respond to our multiple requests. The Belgian government, for its part, explains that it was aware of the affair, but did not wish to make further comments.
According to several sources among Western intelligence services, who say they are aware of the existence of this agent, Daniel Woo works for the Ministry of State Security (MSE), Guoanbu in Chinese. The vast service, around 200,000 employees according to a Western intelligence source, is structured into eighteen units, “offices” responsible for supervising undercover officers, counter-espionage or surveillance of Chinese students at home. stranger.
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