Beijing denied on Tuesday any “alleged Chinese espionage” and denounced a “slander”, after the arrest of a collaborator of a German far-right party in the European Parliament suspected of being a Chinese spy.
“The theory of the threat of alleged Chinese espionage is not a new thing in European public opinion,” underlined the spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy, Wang Wenbin, denouncing a “slander” intended to “destroy the atmosphere of cooperation between China and Europe. “We firmly oppose this hype and urge relevant parties to stop spreading false information about China’s so-called espionage threat, end political manipulation and malicious slander at the against China,” he told reporters.
German justice announced Tuesday the arrest of a suspected Chinese agent in the heart of the Parliament of the European Union. This announcement comes the day after German authorities arrested three people, also accused of spying for China, and the indictment of two men in London on similar suspicions. Western countries have repeatedly warned against Chinese intelligence services which particularly target cutting-edge technologies.
Asked about the two men charged in Britain, Mr. Wang said he wanted to “reaffirm that the allegations that China is suspected of stealing British information is completely fabricated and constitutes malicious slander.” “We firmly oppose it and hope that relevant people and parties will stop anti-China political manipulation.”
On the arrested German MEP’s aide, Wang said such accusations were intended to “destroy the atmosphere of cooperation between China and Europe.” The arrested man is accused of sharing information about negotiations in the European Parliament with a Chinese intelligence service and of spying on Chinese opposition figures in Germany, according to federal prosecutors.
Asked about the arrest, Wang said it was “clear to everyone that the theory of the threat of Chinese espionage is not new in European public opinion.” “What we want to emphasize is that China has always adhered to the principle of mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries to cooperate with countries around the world, including Europe,” he said. said Mr. Wang.
This article is originally published on lorientlejour.com
