Poor Olaf, he is not back from China from his extremely successful trip and that!
His trip to go to China where he was sent to ask the Chinese if they wouldn't like to slow down their growth among other absurdities reminded me of one of my very first mission when I was sent by my employer, Nomura Securities at the time, to the Japan Ministry of Finance to submit a new idea to issue Long term (2 years) commercial paper. "You little Sh*t are coming here to tell us what we should do?" Most certainly a good lesson but at least nobody sent an insulting letter after the meeting and I enjoyed good relations with the MoF thereafter. I am less sure about Olaf Scholz.
Spying is not a good thing but everybody does it and normally you settle these cases discretely by sending a spy to prison and a couple of diplomats back to their country. Now, in the footstep of the US, Europe is trying to get tough with China expecting the same action (as for Russia) will have a different result. Isn't it the definition of stupidity?
It is the proof that the people behind the curtain want to raise tensions which in any case China was already well aware of. We're slowly getting closer to the stage when China will have to take counter measures. A complete crash of the Ukrainian army which could happen in the coming months could very well be the trigger.
A staffer who worked for a high profile German member of European Parliament for years has been arrested on charges of spying for Chinese intelligence, Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday.
Identified only as Jian G., he had reportedly been a staff member for German MEP Maximilian Krah going back to 2019. Krah is with what mainstream media commonly dubs the "far-right" AfD (Alternative for Germany party).
"In January 2024 the accused repeatedly shared information about negotiations and decisions in the European Parliament with his intelligence service employer," the prosecutors office said.
The suspect has also been accused of spying on and monitoring Chinese opposition communities inside Germany. Beijing has long been suspected in the West, including the US, of keeping close tabs on the political leanings and activism of expat enclaves via a network of spies connected to consulates.
German interior minister Nancy Faeser subsequently announced on X, "If it is confirmed that there was espionage for Chinese intelligence services from within the European Parliament, then that would be an attack on European democracy from within. Whoever employs such a person carries responsibility."
The investigation into "Jian G", who was detained Monday, was led by German domestic intelligence services. Recent days and weeks have seen other arrests in Europe of suspected Chinese spies, including a couple in the UK in recent days.
On Tuesday China's foreign minister reacted by denouncing the "hype" surrounding such cases, describing it as more anti-China propaganda aimed at political manipulation and to ratchet pressure on Beijing.
According to Politico, "The bombshell arrest, which rocks the AfD while it polls in second place nationally, sparked calls from one top European lawmaker for a tougher crackdown on Chinese and Russian infiltrators attempting to influence EU democracy."
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