Far-right German Ex-Aide Indicted on Espionage Charges, Suspected of Working for China
In a bombshell revelation, it's been claimed that a man named Jian Guo, a former employee of a far-right German lawmaker in the European Parliament, has been charged with spying for China for over four years. According to authorities, Jian Guo was working for a Chinese intelligence agency and was passing on confidential info about negotiations and decisions within the European Parliament from September 2019 through April 2024, when he was arrested.
The office of the federal prosecutor accuses Guo of having over 500 documents at his disposal, some of which were classified as highly sensitive by the EU Parliament. Guo is reported to have been working for this Chinese intelligence agency since 2002[1][2][5].
Additionally, another individual, Yaqi X., a Chinese citizen who worked for a logistics company, was also charged. Authorities claim that she provided Guo with information regarding flights, cargo, and passengers at Leipzig Airport, and even gave details about military equipment transport and people connected to a German arms company[5].
The case has cast a shadow over the AfD, a far-right political party, which was already facing scrutiny for its Russia-friendly positions. At the time of these allegations, Maximilian Krah, a former AfD member and Guo's former boss, was the top candidate for the European Parliament elections, which took place last June[6].
Despite these allegations, China's Foreign Ministry dismissed them as mere fabrications and warned against smearing and vilifying China[1]. The impact of this case goes beyond just the European Parliament and has cast doubts on the political relationships between far-right German politicians and foreign entities[5].
Sources:1. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-dismisses-reports-german-lawmaker-aide-spied-china-behalf-2021-10-05/2. https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/china-gefaesselt-eu-parlamentsmitarbeiter-um-geheimnisse-a-b3660212d76f5de5e6cdf3b9e1da32f2.html3. https://www.dw.com/en/german-asian-parliamentary-aide-accused-of-spying-for-china/a-607033874. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-578564205. https://www.politico.eu/article/german-mep-aide-arrested-on-suspicion-of-spying-for-china/6. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-far-right-afd-leads-polling-ahead-of-parliamentary-election-2021-09-11/
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- The unmuted decrease in the general news discussion following the arrest of Jian Guo, a former lawmaker's aide, has been about the spying charges and the alleged passing of classified EU Parliament documents to Chinese officials.
- The espionage case involving Jian Guo and another individual, Yaqi X., has not only highlighted the war-and-conflicts aspect of politics with China, but it has also raised concerns about crime-and-justice within the realm of far-right German politicians and foreign entities.
- In the realm of political news, the allegations against Jian Guo, a lawmaker's aide charged with spying for China, have cast a shadow not only on the European Parliament but also on the broader relationship between German far-right politicians and foreign powers.
- As investigations into Jian Guo's activities with Chinese intelligence agencies continue, discussion around crime-and-justice and foreign interference in war-and-conflicts matters is likely to increase, given the high number of documents (around 500) reportedly at his disposal with sensitive EU Parliament information.
