Former EU diplomat suspected of spying for China

German prosecutors said they were investigating three people suspected of working as secret agents and spying for China. The suspects include a former EU diplomat.
“We can confirm an investigation into suspected espionage” for Chinese state security bodies, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office said.
The country’s media reported that one of the suspects was a German diplomat who first worked at the EU Commission, and later for the EU External Action Service, but did not name him. He also served as an EU ambassador to multiple countries and joined a lobbying firm in 2017. The lobbying firm said in a statement its employee denies the allegations.
German media also reported that two of the suspects “shared private and commercial information to China’s ministry for state security”, while the third confirmed he was ready to do it.
“We have no comment at this stage, but of course our services are always ready to cooperate with national authorities conducting investigations that may implicate former staff members”, an EU Commission spokesperson added.
The rare case comes amid increased Western fears about China spying. In the last months, the US has been pressuring its Western allies to ban Chinese tech giant Huawei from launching its 5G mobile networks. Germany, however, has so far said it does not want to exclude any provider.