Espionage, political influence and secret police stations put spotlight on US and German spy cases

Espionage, political influence and secret police stations put spotlight on US and German spy cases
by AFP Staff Writers
Berlin (AFP) Dec 19, 2024

German police said Thursday they had opened an espionage probe into a Chinese national who according to local media allegedly took photographs at a naval area of the Baltic Sea port of Kiel.

The northern port is home to German naval installations and shipyards of the defence giant Thyssenkrupp, which builds submarines there.

A Chinese man was detained by security guards before he was arrested by police after taking photographs at the Kiel-Wik naval base on December 9, according to local media.

"I can confirm that the State Criminal Police Office of Schleswig-Holstein state is conducting an investigation against a Chinese citizen on suspicion of espionage," a police spokeswoman told AFP.

Prosecutors in the state confirmed to AFP that they had launched "an investigation against a Chinese citizen on suspicion of taking pictures" in a case considered "relevant to state security".

They also said the suspect had in the meantime been released from detention.

Public broadcaster WDR said police were evaluating images on his phone and the Federal Office for Military Counterintelligence was also involved in the case.

Tensions have been building in the Baltic Sea since the start of the war in Ukraine, with European countries denouncing "hybrid attacks" blamed on Russia.

Sweden has been investigating a Chinese ship since November in the case of the sabotage of two submarine telecommunications cables.

Germany in early October said it had arrested a Chinese woman accused of spying on the country's defence industry while working in a logistics company, including at Leipzig airport in eastern Germany.

Named only as Yaqi X., she allegedly reported to another suspected Beijing agent now under arrest, Jian G., who was working in the office of a German far-right member of the European Parliament, Maximilian Krah.

News magazine Der Spiegel, citing unnamed security sources, said that 38-year-old Yaqi X. had especially targeted the arms giant Rheinmetall, which is involved in making Leopard tanks and uses Leipzig airport for cargo flights.

US charges 'Chinese agent' over political influence
Los Angeles, United States (AFP) Dec 20, 2024 - China's ruling Communist Party used an agent in California to influence state politics, US prosecutors said Thursday as they unveiled criminal charges against a Chinese national.

FBI agents arrested Yaoning "Mike" Sun, 64, at his home in Chino Hills, near Los Angeles, on charges that he acted as an agent for a foreign government while getting involved in local politics.

The complaint claims Sun served as the campaign manager and close confidante for an unnamed politician who was running for local elected office in 2022.

During the campaign, he is alleged to have conspired with Chen Jun -- a Chinese national who was sentenced to prison last month for acting as an illegal agent of Beijing -- regarding his efforts to get the politician elected.

The US Department of Justice said Chen discussed with Chinese government officials how they could influence local politicians, particularly on the issue of Taiwan.

China considers the self-ruled island of Taiwan part of its territory.

Beijing -- which has said it would never rule out using force to bring Taiwan under its control -- has been accused of using local influence campaigns, among other tactics, to sway global opinion on the issue.

Charging documents say after the local politician won office in late 2022, Chen instructed Sun to prepare a report on the election to be sent to Chinese government officials, who expressed their thanks for his work.

"The conduct alleged in this complaint is deeply concerning," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada.

"We cannot permit hostile foreign powers to meddle in the governance of our country."

Sun was charged with one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

He also faces one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of five years.

Guilty plea for New York man who ran secret Chinese 'police station'
New York (AFP) Dec 19, 2024 - A 60-year-old man pleaded guilty on Wednesday for his role in running a clandestine Chinese "police station" in New York as part of a campaign to monitor and harass US-based dissidents.

Chen Jinping, 60, faces up to five years in prison for conspiring to act as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Chen and another man, "Harry" Lu Jianwang, were arrested in April of last year and accused of operating a secret police station in Manhattan for China's Ministry of Public Security.

"Today's guilty plea holds (Chen) accountable for his brazen efforts to operate an undeclared overseas police station on behalf of (China's) national police force -- a clear affront to American sovereignty," Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said.

Robert Wells, a senior FBI official, said Chen's case is "a stark reminder of the insidious efforts taken by the (Chinese) government to threaten, harass, and intimidate those who speak against their Communist Party."

"These blatant violations will not be tolerated on US soil," Wells said.

Lu has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said at the time of the arrests that China was involved in setting up secret police posts in countries around the world.

The two men set up the office in Manhattan's Chinatown at the behest of the Fuzhou branch of the Ministry of Public Security, ostensibly to offer services like Chinese driver's license renewals, according to Peace.

But in fact, their main job was to help track down and harass fugitive Chinese dissidents, US officials said.

Beijing said on Thursday that there was no "so-called police station."

"China is a country governed by the rule of law and has always strictly abided by international law and respected all countries' judicial sovereignty," said foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian when asked about the case at a regular news conference.

Canada and several European governments have cracked down on similar "police stations."

The Spain-based human rights group Safeguard Defenders first revealed the existence of such outposts around the world.

They often operate with little or no indication they are there -- though US officials said the Manhattan office had been visited by officials from the Chinese consulate in New York.

According to Safeguard Defenders, the "police stations" have been involved in pressuring Chinese nationals to return home to face criminal charges.