Germany's China envoy summoned by Beijing over spying claims

The German ambassador to China said on Thursday that she had been summoned by Chinese authorities to answer questions about the arrests of four Germans this week who are suspected of spying for Beijing.

"After four Germans were arrested this week for allegedly spying for Chinese secret services, I was summoned to the MFA [ministry of foreign affairs] today," Patricia Flor wrote on X, formerly Twitter, adding that it was "a quite telling move."

Using the summons as "a good opportunity to explain a few things," she insisted that "We do not tolerate espionage in Germany, regardless of which country it comes from [and] we protect our democracy and our constitutional state by constitutional means."

She concluded: "The Federal Public Prosecutor General conducts the investigations. In the end, an independent court will decide on the accusations."

A spokesperson for the German foreign ministry confirmed the summons to the Reuters news agency, adding that the Chinese envoy to Berlin had been summoned earlier in the week to be briefed on the German government's "clear position on the ongoing investigations into suspected Chinese espionage activities".

Germany arrests suspected China spies 

Four German citizens were arrested earlier this week, including an aide to nationalist politician Maximilian Krah, the top candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the upcoming European elections.

According to state prosecutors, the aide is accused of acting as an agent for a foreign security service and of passing on details of proceedings in the European Parliament to Beijing.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who visited the Chinese capital and held talks with President Xi Jinping just a week ago, said the spying allegations concerning the far-right MEP were "very worrying" and would be investigated.

Another man and a married couple were also arrested in the states of Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia, one of whom is accused of acquiring information on "innovative technologies" with "military use" on behalf of China.

The arrests have deepened concerns about the extent of Chinese espionage in Germany, and prompted an angry response from Beijing.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said the accusations were aimed at "smearing and suppressing China" and "destroying the atmosphere of cooperation between China and Europe."

The spokesperson called on the German investigators to "give up their cold war mentality."

German parliament slams AfD over spy cases

Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, discussed the recent spate of spying scandals on Thursday, with DW's chief political editor Michaela Küfner reporting that the "gloves were off" as the far-right AfD "essentially stood accused of being traitors."

Interior minister Nancy Faeser of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) warned of attempts by Russia and China to influence Germany and "split us as a society."

She said it was "unacceptable that citizens' representatives allow themselves to become propaganda machines for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin or Beijing."

Green Party lawmaker Konstantin von Notz accused the AfD of being "court servants for China and Russia."

Addressing AfD chief Tino Chrupalla, he said: "Your organization serves the Russian president, your party's role model is the Chinese Communist Party."

He called the AfD "a disgrace for this Parliament and our whole country."

SPD domestic policy expert Dirk Wiese asked the AfD deputees: "Is perhaps not your own country which you love so much, but rather dictatorships like China and Russia?"

Opposition conservative CDU lawmaker Marc Heinrichmann accused the AfD of "betraying and selling the German people."

Konstantin Kuhle of the pro-business coalition FDP party said: "The AfD willingly flings itself at the feet of dictators and autocrats, it rewards corrupt and criminal characters with top positions."

AfD politician Stefan Keuter rejected the accusations as "unfounded" and accused the government of trying to damage his party. "A government which agitates against the opposition is a reminder of the darkest periods of German history," he suggested, insisting that his party remains "innocent until proven guilty."

In response to the suggestion of an orchestrated campaign against the AfD, interior minister Faeser explained that the German judiciary is independent.

After speaking with a member of Germany's intelligence service committee, DW's chief political editor Küfner said that "the most important takeaway politically is not just the AfD being exposed and weakened in the polls, but that the incidents serve as a "wake up call for Germany."

According to the intelligence official, the German public needs to be "more conscious of the threats that are out there in this geopoltical struggle unfolding very concretely now between democracies and authoritarian states in the form of spying," Küfner said. 

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mf/wmr (AFP, Reuters)