Germany prosecutors on Thursday (January 9) stated that three German citizens are accused of providing navigation technology information with potential military use to the Chinese Communist intelligence department.
According to Voice of America, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Germany stated that these three German citizens are accused of having “worked for the Chinese (Communist) intelligence agency.” The authorities did not disclose the full names of the defendants, only identifying them as Herwig F, Ina F, and Thomas R.
In a statement, the prosecutor said that Thomas R had been acting as an agent for “an employee of the Chinese (Communist) State Security intelligence agency located in China” since 2017.
It is alleged that this suspect had contacts with the married couple Herwig F and Ina F. The couple runs a company in the western city of Düsseldorf.
The three are accused of obtaining “innovative technology information that could be used for military purposes.”
The prosecutor stated that to achieve this goal, the couple used their company to liaise with other commercial and scientific institutions. From February 2017 to April 2024, “they repeatedly gathered information that could be particularly useful for expanding the Chinese (Communist) navy’s capabilities.”
The information they collected reportedly includes “ship engines, sonar systems, aircraft protection systems, armored vehicle engines, and drones usable for military purposes.”
Subsequently, this information is believed to have been transmitted back to China through Thomas R.
In one case, the couple reportedly signed an agreement with a university in Germany to provide “knowledge transfer” to China. The first stage of the agreement involved preparing a research report on the most advanced marine engine technology for China’s “contractual partner.”
The prosecutor said that behind the Chinese partner organization is an employee of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, and the project is funded by the Chinese authorities.
The three individuals are also accused of purchasing three specialized lasers in Germany and exporting them to China without permission. The prosecutor stated that these laser products are controlled dual-use items for military and civilian purposes.
They were arrested last April and formally charged last December.
At that time, Thomas R remained in pretrial detention, but the couple was released in October after their arrest warrant was temporarily suspended.
In recent years, Germany has seen several high-profile cases involving espionage activities for foreign forces such as China and Russia.
In October last year, a Chinese woman was arrested for allegedly engaging in espionage activities against German defense industry facilities.
The woman reportedly reported to another Chinese espionage suspect identified by authorities as Jian G, who has been detained and previously worked in the office of a far-right German member of the European Parliament.
In December last year, the police launched an investigation against a Chinese man who allegedly took photos of a naval base on the Baltic Sea coast in Germany.