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Political traps and influence operations: Chinese spies return to Europe

2024-04-29 19:13:35Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Political traps and influence operations: Chinese spies return to Europe
Political traps and influence operations: Chinese spies return to Europe

The New York Times reports that last week saw a wave of arrests of people suspected of spying for China in Europe, underscoring the continent's latest crackdown on espionage activities and political interference by Beijing.

One of those arrested is a young British man known for his radical views against China, who worked as an assistant to a well-known member of the British Parliament. The second person, a German citizen of Chinese origin, was an assistant to a member of the European Parliament representing the German extreme right.

A total of six people were indicted in three separate cases this week in Europe for spying for China; two people in Great Britain and four in Germany.

Indicative data

The espionage cases in Great Britain and Germany, the first of their kind in two countries that had friendly relations with Beijing, were telling cases.

Shortly after British and German officials announced that six of their nationals had been charged with espionage, Dutch and Polish authorities raided the offices of a Chinese supplier of security equipment on Wednesday as part of a European Union campaign against what it considers the practices of trade injustice.

The European Commission also used the new law against foreign subsidies for the first time to order an audit of a Chinese company.

The newspaper described the arrests as a growing backlash in Europe against "malign" Chinese influence in politics and trade.

In early April, Sweden expelled a Chinese journalist who had lived in the country for two decades, declaring that the journalist represented a threat to national security.

Europe has lost its patience

Czech researcher Ivana Karaskova said that after years of regular conflicts over trade, followed by reconciliation, "Europe has lost patience with China."

She added that China still has strong friends in the European Union, especially Hungary, in the "multidimensional chess game" between the world's two largest economies after the United States.

Karaskova said that Europe has moved from a position of "complete denial" of the danger posed by Chinese espionage and influence operations and that it has taken a "less naïve view and wants to protect European interests in relation to China".

Allegations this week that China is using spies to infiltrate and influence democratic processes in Germany and Britain have raised particular concerns, as they signal Beijing's expansion beyond familiar business shenanigans into covert political meddling, something that at first it was thought to be a Russian specialty. But according to Chinese experts, these accusations do not indicate that Beijing is increasing espionage, but rather that European countries have increased their response.

"Storm" and "climate change"

Germany's security service has publicly warned of the dangers of trust in China since 2022, when the head of the country's intelligence agency, Thomas Haldenwang, told parliament: "Russia is the storm and China is climate change." Despite this, Germany's political leadership has behaved much more equivocally until this week.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently paid a state visit to China, which is Germany's largest trading partner, to discuss trade and market access.

However, Germany's interior minister gave a candid assessment of China's activities last week.

"We are aware of the significant risk that Chinese espionage poses to business, industry and science. We are closely monitoring these risks and threats and have issued clear warnings to raise awareness to increase preventive measures everywhere," said Minister Nancy Faeser.

A malicious campaign

China's Foreign Ministry responded by rejecting the allegations, calling them "baseless defamation and slander against China".

The ministry asked Germany to "stop the malicious campaign and anti-Chinese political dramas".

The newspaper reports that when the Chinese president travels to Europe next month, he will skip Germany and Great Britain and visit Hungary, Serbia and France instead.

 


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