The arrest on Monday of three German citizens believed to have collected sensitive naval data and obtained high-powered lasers on behalf of Chinese security services underscored the fragility of the relationship, prosecutors said.
A man named Thomas R., under German privacy rules, served as an “agent” for China’s Ministry of State Security and hired two others – a pair named Herwig and Ina F. is a married couple who run an engineering firm. in Dusseldorf, authorities said.
The arrests come at an awkward time for the German government: Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been going through a difficult time recently. Three days in China Although the two countries have signed multiple bilateral trade agreements, Germany is also wary of the threat posed by China.
German Interior Minister Nancy Feser said: “We are aware that Chinese espionage poses considerable dangers to business, industry and science.” She added: “We are paying close attention to these risks and threats and have issued a clear warning and raise awareness so that protective measures can be strengthened everywhere.”
British authorities further stated in a statement Two men were charged on Monday with breaching the Official Secrets Act for allegedly sharing information with China that could be “useful to the enemy”.
The two men were named by the Metropolitan Police as Christopher Berry, 32, from Witney, Oxfordshire, and Christopher Cash, 29, from London. Mr Cash is a parliamentary researcher with links to the ruling Conservative Party. Arrested last year Suspected of working for the Chinese government.
“This is an extremely complex investigation involving very serious allegations,” a police statement said, adding that the pair had been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday. Officials have not yet indicated that the cases in Germany and Britain are linked.
Last week, Volkswagen confirmed that Chinese hackers had stolen some 19,000 sensitive documents from the automaker in a separate incident, making the threat to Germany clear from 2010. Volkswagen is one of Germany’s largest companies.
Last year, sales of German products in China were about 97 billion euros ($103 billion), making it Germany’s fourth-largest export market and particularly important for its strong automotive industry.
Experts are increasingly sounding the alarm about China’s aggressive trade practices.Last year, the German government issued a National strategy The paper focuses on China, calling its trading partners “systemic competitors.”
The arrests came as police raided the homes and workplaces of the three suspects in Düsseldorf and Bad Homburg in the west of the country.
According to authorities, Herwig and Ina F. used companies they had previously worked on projects in China to establish a formal research partnership with an unidentified German research university.
Authorities said the partnership was a front for China’s Ministry of State Security, and that the couple, under the guise of working for legitimate business partners, commissioned a study into the modern development of certain machine parts that are critical to developing high-tech equipment. It’s important. Powered ship engines, such as those used in naval vessels.
The couple also used their company to purchase a high-power dual-purpose laser and export it to China without the required export license.
“Anyone who works for a foreign intelligence service in Germany and illegally exports material that may have military applications must expect a severe response from our constitutional state,” German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said after the arrests.
Chinese authorities have not commented publicly.
Federal prosecutors said that when the three suspects were arrested, they were working on new research projects that would benefit the Chinese navy.The team has been working for China since at least June 2022, it added.
