A Chinese man has been arrested at a German naval base, with authorities considering espionage charges against him, according to a report by a German television station.
On Wednesday, the police stated that a Chinese man was detained at a German naval base. The German public broadcaster WDR reported that on December 9, this man was spotted carrying a camera at the Kiel naval base. Prosecutors are considering charging him with taking photos that could endanger military facility security.
Carola Jeschke, spokesperson for the Schlesweig-Holstein criminal investigation department, said, “We are investigating a Chinese man found at the harbor.”
The Kiel naval base is located on the Baltic Sea coast and is home to one of the three fleets of the German navy. Kiel is also where ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems builds submarines.
The prosecutors did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comments.
Tensions between the Chinese Communist Party and Western countries have been escalating, with the United States and Europe highly concerned about the national security threats posed by China. As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has persisted for over two years, China’s continued support for Russia has also sparked strong dissatisfaction within the European Union. On Monday, the European Union imposed comprehensive sanctions on entities and individuals from China for the first time.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, suspected Chinese ships have repeatedly cut undersea pipelines and data cables in the Baltic Sea, prompting the EU to investigate these Chinese vessels. In October, Germany took over command of NATO’s Baltic Sea special forces.
German security agencies have frequently warned about heightened threats from the Chinese intelligence service in Germany.
On October 1, the German prosecutors announced the arrest of a Chinese woman for allegedly working as an intelligence agent for a Chinese Communist intelligence agency. The suspect, known as Yaqi X, worked at a logistics company serving the Leipzig/Halle airport in eastern Germany.
According to the prosecutors, the woman exploited her position to collect information on military equipment transportation and personnel related to a German arms company.
On April 22, German prosecutors arrested three German citizens suspected of working for the Chinese Ministry of State Security, transferring technology for military purposes to China.
According to a statement from the German Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, the suspects are Herwig F., Ina F., and Thomas R. The first two are a married couple who run a company in Dusseldorf, Germany. Thomas R. is described as acting as an agent for the Chinese Ministry of State Security.
In 2023, the city of Kiel decided to abandon plans to establish a sister city partnership with Qingdao due to warnings that such ties could become a cover for Chinese espionage activities.