Norwegian police security agency (PST) arrested a Chinese woman last week for her alleged involvement in serious espionage activities – setting up a receiver to collect sensitive satellite data. The “Norwegian National Security Report” released on May 12 mentioned this case, stating that “a Chinese citizen was arrested for suspected espionage activities related to satellite data.”
PST conducted searches last Thursday at two locations related to this arrest, one located on Andøya in Nordland, northern Norway, where there is a European polar orbital satellite launch base, one of only two such facilities in Europe; and another property in the city of Otta in Innland, central Norway.
Both properties are registered under the name of a Singaporean man, who is considered a “key figure” in this case by the Norwegian police. His registered company in Norway is suspected of being a cover for Chinese espionage – setting up a satellite data receiving station on the polar orbit. The company is currently under investigation.
The property in Otta is the registered address of this Singaporean man, and the Chinese woman was arrested at the property on Andøya on May 7, allegedly attempting to engage in serious espionage activities targeting national secrets.
Furthermore, Norwegian authorities confiscated a 22-ton mobile satellite receiver, installed in a container and shipped under the name of the Singaporean man’s company. PST believes that the equipment is not intended for civilian use but to download sensitive satellite data, posing a threat to Norway’s national interests if the data were to fall into enemy hands.
However, the names of the Chinese woman and the Singaporean man have not been disclosed by Norwegian authorities.
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) later reported that the suspected satellite receiver was found in a container at Oslo port, weighing 22 tons. PST suspects that the equipment was originally intended for shipment to Andøya for local use. The company that was supposed to receive the equipment, now also a defendant in the case, claimed that the equipment was meant for collecting meteorological data while fishing for krill, which would be used for healthcare products.
PST refuted this claim, stating that the capabilities of the receiver far exceeded the requirements for such tasks and that krill fishing is prohibited in the Arctic region. “They’ve got the North Pole wrong,” the police told reporters, as commercial krill fishing takes place in the subantarctic regions, not the Arctic.
Andøya has long been a military activity and weapons testing base and plays a significant new role in NATO operations. PST and Nordland police have issued warnings to the public to be vigilant about espionage activities in the area, known for its stunning mountain and coastal landscapes.
Andøya Space Center stated that they are prepared to prevent intelligence theft, including strengthening security departments, raising awareness among employees of espionage threats, and enhancing network security.
PST prosecutor Thomas Blom, in an interview with Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang on May 8, stated that three individuals and a company were indicted in connection with this case.
Blom stated that PST took swift action because they believed that the Chinese woman was preparing to travel to a country “without an extradition agreement with Norway.”
In a statement provided to Agence France-Presse (AFP) earlier, Blom said, “The operation is based on a suspicion: that a company registered in Norway is being used as a cover for Chinese (CCP) state actors to establish a station for downloading data from polar orbit satellites.”
Blom added that if the related data were to fall into the hands of foreign governments, it “could harm fundamental Norwegian interests.”
Reuters reported that the Chinese woman would be detained during the investigation for up to four weeks. If ultimately charged and convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison.
According to Norwegian media reports, PST has not commented on whether the involved Singaporean man has been indicted in the case, but in Norway, property searches are usually conducted only if charges have been filed.
At the time of the incident, the Singaporean man was in Singapore. He told Norwegian media that he had been “deceived by several people.”
A local news website in northern Norway “vol.no” interviewed the Singaporean man via phone on May 7 evening. He stated that he had been “deceived by several people” and lured to buy a house on Andøya.
The 43-year-old man explained during the interview with “vol.no” that he was not entirely clear about what had happened. He said, “As far as I know, a Chinese woman has been identified as a spy.”
He told “vol.no” that he was introduced to a person “interested in doing business in Norway” by a Chinese friend in Singapore who needed a place to lease.
According to him, he had never been to Andøya. The Chinese friend found the property and asked him to directly contact the real estate agent. All transactions were completed online. The rent provided was 60,000 Norwegian kroner (approximately $6,500) per month.
It wasn’t until April 2026 that he discovered a shipment of goods from China to Norway in his company’s name. He emphasized, “These goods were shipped to Norway without my knowledge.”
“vol.no” reported that the man had traveled to Norway as early as 2022, attempting to establish a data center but without success. Public records show that he had held positions in several Norwegian companies and been involved in a bankruptcy case and civil lawsuit. The Straits Times in Singapore also reported on these events.
The “Norwegian National Security Report” released on May 12 mentioned this case: the most recent related event occurred in May 2026 when a Chinese citizen was arrested for suspected espionage activities related to satellite data.
The report stated that according to the “2024 Norwegian National Threat Assessment,” Russia and Chinese intelligence agencies pose the greatest threat within Norway, using different methods to achieve their goals. Both countries have shown a willingness to purchase land near critical infrastructure or military facilities.
Norwegian authorities believe that foreign intelligence agencies are trying to recruit personnel in Norway as sources of intelligence and making use of increasingly complex corporate structures to obtain sensitive technology from Norwegian companies in unexpected ways.
Andøya, where the incident took place, holds a strategically crucial position. Located in northern Norway, close to the Arctic Circle, the Barents Sea, the Russian Northern Fleet, and the Arctic Ocean passage, it is highly effective in receiving data from satellites over the Arctic, monitoring the North Atlantic region, and imaging Russian military operational areas.
In recent years, the Arctic has become a new battlefield for major powers and global supply chains and regional politics. On September 22 last year, the Chinese container ship “Istanbul Bridge” departed from the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and traveled through the Northern Sea Route in Russia, arriving at Felixstowe Port in the UK on October 13 after 21 days, cutting the journey time in half compared to the Suez Canal route.