German staffer in EU parliament arrested on China spying charges

Police have arrested a staffer working for a German far-right member of the European parliament on charges of spying for Beijing, the latest alleged Chinese agent to be unmasked in a trend alarming security authorities across the continent.

Jian Guo, an employee of Maximilian Krah, was accused by Germany’s federal prosecutor on Tuesday of being covertly employed by China’s Ministry of State Security.

Several alleged Chinese spies have been revealed to occupy high-level parliamentary positions in Europe, including in the UK and Belgium, prompting heightened concern over Beijing’s increasingly aggressive attempts at political subterfuge.

At the same time, German intelligence services have in recent weeks warned of a deteriorating security situation, with both China and Russia increasing their efforts as they seek to gain economic and technological advantages from, and political influence over, Europe’s largest economy.

Krah is the far-right Alternative for Germany’s lead candidate for election to the European parliament in June.

In his current position as an MEP, he sits on the EU parliament’s committee for international trade as well as the subcommittees for security and defence and for human rights.

Guo, 43 — who was publicly identified by prosecutors only by his first name — is one of three fully accredited members of Krah’s staff, according to his parliamentary profile.

The European parliament said on Tuesday it had suspended Guo “given the seriousness of the revelations” so he no longer has access to files.

Germany’s federal prosecutor said it was unclear for how many years Guo had allegedly been working for Chinese spymasters.

It accused him of “repeatedly” passing on sensitive information about EU parliamentary negotiations and decisions to China in January this year. It also accused Guo of gathering information on Chinese dissidents in Germany.

Guo could not be reached for comment.

“The allegations of espionage for China are extremely serious,” said German interior minister Nancy Faeser. “If it is confirmed that spying for Chinese intelligence services was done from the European parliament itself, then this is an attack from within on European democracy.”

“Anyone who employs such an employee also bears responsibility for this,” added Faeser, a member of the German Social Democratic party.

Krah said on Tuesday that he had learned of Guo’s arrest from German police. “I don’t have any further information. Spying for a foreign state is a serious accusation. If the allegations prove to be true, this would result in the immediate termination of employment,” he added.

The spy scandal is not the first to entangle the AfD: the party is still struggling to move on from accusations against its second candidate on the list for EU elections, Petr Bystron.

Bystron is being investigated by prosecutors after reports earlier this month that he took money from pro-Kremlin Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk to spread Russian propaganda in Europe.

Krah is also involved in that investigation. According to media reports at the weekend, western security agencies have questioned him over his connections with Medvedchuk, to whose daughter Russian President Vladimir Putin is godfather.

AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla said he “stood by” both Krah and Bystron on Monday before news of the Chinese spy case came to light.

The AfD is on course to more than double its representation in Strasbourg, as it rides a tide of discontent in Germany over the government’s handling of the economy and immigration.

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Lawmakers in the European parliament employ staff directly and background checks vary according to national rules in their home country. Krah has already been referred to an internal advisory body for not declaring meetings with people from outside the parliament. 

Some MEPs are now calling for tougher security clearance procedures.  

Nathalie Loiseau, a French centrist MEP, said: “The time for naivety is over. Ahead of important European elections, our fellow citizens have a right to know which MEPs are acting out of conviction and which are giving in to corruption or even aiding foreign interference.”

Guo’s arrest comes a day after news that three German nationals had been apprehended in the west of Germany on charges of spying for Beijing.

A husband and wife and a colleague of the pair were accused of conspiring to send sensitive technology to China, including a military-grade laser, using their business in Düsseldorf as a front.

In Belgium, members of the far-right Vlaams Belang party have been accused of working for China. Late last year, the Financial Times and other media uncovered that former federal Vlaams Belang lawmaker Frank Creyelman carried out tasks on behalf of Chinese spies for years. Belgian authorities opened a criminal investigation into his case earlier this year.

Filip Dewinter, a Vlaams Belang member of the Flemish parliament, has also been accused of having ties to a Chinese spy, Changchun Shao, who was expelled from Belgium in 2017. Dewinter denies the accusations and remains a sitting member of the regional assembly.

Belgian authorities have also launched a criminal investigation into the alleged influence operation run by Medvedchuk and whether members of the EU parliament accepted payments for peddling Kremlin disinformation.

Additional reporting by Laura Dubois in Brussels and Andy Bounds in Strasbourg

This article has been corrected to reflect that Vladimir Putin is godfather to Viktor Medvedchuk’s daughter