Who paid for flights to China?
Contradictory information about China funds weighs on Krah
By Stefan Schmitz and Tom Kollmar
April 24, 2024, 6:00 p.m
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AfD top candidate Maximilian Krah denies that Chinese authorities paid for his flight tickets to Beijing. The problem: He stated this himself to the European Parliament.
The AfD’s leading candidate for the European elections, Maximilian Krah, may have accepted more advantages from China than he has previously publicly admitted. Krah confirmed his account on “Stern”/RTL from an interview lasting several hours that he conducted last week with the YouTube format “Jung & Naiv”.
In it, he told YouTuber Tilo Jung that during a trip to China in 2019, he was invited by Huawei and other Chinese authorities to stay in hotels and have meals. “So we’re talking about a train ticket and two or three hotels and a meal,” said Krah. “A train ticket and three business hotels. So what? What are they: 400 euros, 500 euros.” Krah emphasized: “Of course I paid for the flight myself.” He correctly reported the benefits he received to the European Parliament.
There is an official report from Krah on the Parliament website, which refers to a total of six nights in a hotel during the trip. In the “Type of costs covered” section, reference is also made to business flights on the route “Brussels – Beijing – Zhenjiang – Taizhou – Lishui – Brussels”, with the addition “Yes” above.
Krah announced through his office that it was a travel allowance of a few hundred euros. The answer to questions from RTL goes on to say: “I paid for the flight myself, evidence could be presented in a legal dispute.”
“I represent German interests”
To explain, people close to Krah said that when reporting to the European Parliament, the costs of a trip could not be divided according to who paid for it. It is only possible to specify that the costs will be covered for the entire trip or to waive it. In a later email, one of Krah’s employees specified that sharing the costs “was not possible, at least until the ‘Eportal’ system was converted.”
After his visit to China, Krah campaigned within his party not to exclude the Chinese company Huawei from expanding German mobile networks. He told “Jung & Naiv”: “I represent German interests. It is in Germany’s interest that we have a secure 5G network that is not 1000 percent American and that, above all, is technically advanced – because the technological The lead of Huawei technology is undisputed.” He pointed out that he represented the position of then Chancellor Angela Merkel on the question of network expansion.
A Krah employee was arrested this week on suspicion of secret service work for China. As a result, Krah came under massive pressure and had to explain himself to his party leadership in Berlin. The agreement now is that Krah will formally remain the top candidate, but will disappear into the background. He will not attend the official campaign start this weekend. Posters with his face will apparently no longer be used in the election campaign.
Unrest in the AfD faction
Despite the deal with the party leadership, Krah is under considerable pressure internally and mistrust is growing. This was also evident in yesterday’s group meeting. According to “Stern” information, the Krah case was the most important topic there. The tenor of many contributions: The allegations surrounding Krah are more serious than those in the case of Petr Bystron, who is said to have accepted Russian money. Individual MPs urged that Krah submit an affidavit to dispel any suspicion that he himself was involved in Chinese espionage activities.
According to “Stern” information, Krah has been trying to appease internally for weeks. He is said to have repeatedly emphasized to Trust that he had only received reimbursement of a few hundred euros in costs from the Chinese. Internally, he described further allegations as “absurd”.
He does not regret the visit to the Huawei Research Center and the conversation with the representatives of China Petrol, both in Beijing. In retrospect, that may have been a mistake because he made himself unnecessarily vulnerable. As Krah has repeatedly emphasized internally, he does not want to have broken any rules.
He is also said to have downplayed the role of his now arrested employee to his party colleagues. He brought him into his office at the time because of his expertise on issues relating to the Chinese market. And: Jian G. even has contact with the opposition in China.
Some people in the AfD leadership are already taking refuge in irony when it comes to Krah. Tino Chrupalla, for example. The co-party leader received some parliamentary group colleagues in the Bundestag today with a Chinese greeting: “Ni Hao!”