German political science academic charged with spying for China
A German political scientist has been charged with spying for China by exploiting high-level official contacts made via his position as the head of a think tank, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
The accused, identified only as Klaus L., is suspected of “regularly passing on information to Chinese intelligence ahead of or after state visits or multinational conferences” between 2010 and 2019.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Klaus L. had been running a political think tank since 2001, gaining international importance due to his scientific reputation and networks he had built up over many years, the prosecutors said.
He was approached by members of a Chinese intelligence service during a lecture tour to Shanghai in June 2010, they said.
The suspect obtained information primarily from his numerous high-ranking political contacts gained through his work, the prosecutors said.
He was paid for his work and the Chinese intelligence service also arranged for him to travel to the meetings with its officers, including as part of a social program.
According to a report by German public broadcaster ARD, Klaus L. led a double life and had also been working as a spy for the German intelligence services (BND).
The broadcaster named the think tank as the Hanns Seidel Foundation, which is close to the CSU, the smaller Bavarian sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU.
The suspect is due to appear before a judge later on Tuesday.
Read more:
France, Germany and China call on negotiators to seize opportunity in Iran talks
Critical US entities targeted in suspected Chinese cyber spying
-
Germany, Japan agree to expand military cooperation, deter China
Japan and Germany agreed in security talks Tuesday to expand their military cooperation as the two nations shared concern about China’s increasing ... World News -
China tries to intimidate Hong Kong residents living in Germany: Interior ministry
China has tried to intimidate Hong Kong residents living in Germany since pro-democracy protests broke out in the city two years ago, the German ... World News -
Poland: Huawei ex-exec, expert accused of spying for China
The trial opened in a Warsaw court on Tuesday of two men accused of spying for China — a Chinese citizen who is a former director of Huawei in Poland ... World News -
Another Canadian goes on trial in China over spying charges
A second Canadian citizen held for more than two years on spying charges in apparent retaliation for Canada’s arrest of a senior executive of the ... World News