Three Germans arrested
Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution: Espionage case typical for China
April 22, 2024, 3:34 p.m
A man and a couple are said to have passed on information about military technology to China. After the arrest, the President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution explained that he had been targeting the espionage suspect for some time. The case is typical for China, but also for Iran, North Korea and Russia.
According to its own statements, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution had been keeping an eye on the Germans arrested on suspicion of spying for China for a long time. “As the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, we tracked down this person very early on and continued to monitor their behavior and activities,” said the President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), Thomas Haldenwang, at a meeting of his office in Berlin. He spoke of his agency’s success in the investigation, “which is certainly of clear relevance.”
The Federal Prosecutor General had previously announced the arrest of the three German citizens in Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. A man and two spouses are said to have obtained information on technologies that could be used for military purposes on behalf of China. They are also said to have purchased a special laser and exported it to China without authorization.
“We are dealing here with a classic case of proliferation, with the passing on of goods that should not have been exported to the target country,” said Haldenwang. According to the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, cases of so-called proliferation occur again and again. The term means the unauthorized transfer of military material or the technology or relevant knowledge required for it.
The security authorities are “very vigilant” on this issue, emphasized Haldenwang. Although he did not want to speak of the “tip of the iceberg” with regard to the Chinese case, it was “actually part of a fairly comprehensive deal.”
Such cases are not only typical for China, but also for other countries such as Iran, North Korea and Russia. As in the case about China that has now become known, those involved expended a “high degree of energy” to conceal their activities and used shell and intermediary companies to export goods via detours.” And we have a case like that to do here again.” The Office for the Protection of the Constitution can uncover similar cases again and again.
“Can’t be naive”
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said of the case: “We are keeping an eye on the significant danger posed by Chinese espionage in business, industry and science.” Anyone in Germany who “works for foreign secret services and illegally exports potentially military-useable material must expect a harsh response from our constitutional state,” explained Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann.
Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger warned that “we must not be naive when dealing with China.” There is a need for “an even more critical assessment of risks and benefits when collaborating, especially in science and universities.”
The Green politician Konstantin von Notz, chairman of the parliamentary control committee in the Bundestag, explained: “We must finally understand that these are very real threats to our security.” In this threatening situation, the AfD is a party in the Bundestag “that is much closer to Russia and China than Germany and Europe.”