In one week, six people have been accused in Germany and England of espionage activities for China. Among them is also an employee of a prominent German political party. And in the Netherlands, security services MIVD and AIVD are also warning about Beijing’s espionage activities.
Last Monday, three people were arrested in Germany in one fell swoop. They are suspected of having passed on sensitive information to China since June 2022.
‘Militarily useful technologies’
One of them is said to have worked for an employee of the Chinese Ministry of State Security and to have obtained information about ‘militarily useful technologies’. A German couple was also arrested: they allegedly helped him with this.
On the same day, two men were charged in England with spying for China after allegedly providing information that “might be useful to an enemy.” And less than a day later, an employee of the prominent German right-wing radical party AfD was also arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
Threat great
“It is indeed striking that so many things have come out,” says Koen Aartsma, intelligence and security expert at the Clingendael Institute. It is difficult to determine whether there is actually more spying going on. On the one hand, we may now be more alert to it, he says: “The focus of Western services has probably shifted more to combating espionage.”
But at the same time, according to Aartsma, the espionage threat is very high: “China spies on an industrial scale abroad, including in the Netherlands.” This may have to do with the ties between Europe and China, which have become less strong in recent times: “China has major economic and political interests in the West and at the same time China and the West have become more opposed to each other on the world stage. “
In response to the German arrests, China itself said last week that “the recent reports in Europe about Chinese espionage are all hype aimed at smearing and oppressing China,” and urged the country to “stop spreading disinformation about the Chinese espionage threat’.
Spying on many countries
Yet there are certainly plenty of reasons for China to spy in Europe. They do this, for example, for economic reasons: to gain knowledge and to copy things from innovations: “In Europe there is simply a lot of knowledge and a lot of high-quality technological industry, such as the semiconductor industry, aerospace, and maritime industry,” says Willemijn Aerdts, lecturer in Intelligence Studies at Leiden University. “They want what they could potentially use themselves.”
Spying is also done for political reasons. “The country plays a more important role on the world stage, and in order to serve its interests, it wants to know what foreign countries think about China and get a handle on that,” says Aartsma.
This can also be done to a certain extent through diplomacy, “but espionage is an important addition if a country does not want to reveal itself.” China is not alone in this, Aerdts and Aartsma both emphasize. ” In fact, many countries engage in espionage,” says Aartsma. “Although spying to become wiser is different from spying in order to influence a country or population.”
‘Ordinary people’
And a spy doesn’t have to be a James Bond figure, with a long coat and a fedora. Spies can actually be anyone who has access to certain knowledge, such as at companies or universities, and who could provide information about it, says Aerdts: “They can be very ordinary people, who are then paid to spy.
Although, in addition to receiving money, there are also other motivations to carry out espionage work for a country, Aartsma says: “Such as ideological motivation, or pressure from a country. It can also play a role that some people find it interesting. Espionage naturally appeals to the imagination.”
That pressure can certainly play a role in the case of China, says Aerdts. “The country wants to be a great power, a leader in every area. And in theory, all Chinese are responsible for contributing to this. This can also put pressure on the Chinese abroad.”
In the Netherlands too
The Netherlands is also warning about Chinese espionage. Earlier this year, the MIVD announced that Chinese espionage software had been found on a computer system of the armed forces. And in the annual report, the AIVD points to the threat of cyber attacks, clandestine investments and espionage activities from China.
“I think that the services here in the Netherlands have been extremely alert to this for some time, we can assume that they are on top of it,” says Aerdts. If the intelligence and security services in the Netherlands suspect that espionage is taking place, they can pass on that information to the Public Prosecution Service. “The Public Prosecution Service can then decide to start its own investigation.”
Yet it is also important as a society, such as companies and universities, to be alert and aware of the information we have, says Aerdts. “We can be a little less naive.”
Tags: Chinese spies arrested Germany Dutch intelligence services warn RTL News
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