The rising tide of Chinese espionage alarms EU security services
Security services in European Union countries are sounding the alarm – the activity of Chinese intelligence has drastically increased. Several people suspected of collaborating with Beijing have been arrested in the last month.
The Russian-language portal Belsat Vot Tak asked former high-ranking officer of the illegal KGB USSR and Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), expert in international relations and intelligence services Sergey Zhirnov about the Chinese agency.
According to intelligence estimates, there are believed to be hundreds of Chinese spies in Brussels alone. Arrests in the last month are said to be just the tip of the iceberg, and Chinese spies are expected to be present in all EU countries and key institutions.
In the United Kingdom, Chinese hackers gained access to the personal data and payrolls of 270,000 British military personnel. In Germany, special services detained three citizens who were allegedly transferring data on "sensitive technology" to China. Another individual is a member of the European Parliament of Chinese descent who had direct access to all European Parliament materials.
China is changing direction
Sergey Zhirnov admits that until recently, Chinese intelligence in Europe was only interested in civilian and military technologies. However, he emphasises that this has changed. "The Chinese suddenly realised they were also interested in politics. This situation surprised everyone," says the former officer.
Zhirnov points out that the warning signs appeared a few years earlier when Russian spies massively infiltrated European educational institutions. "Suddenly, many Chinese expressed a desire to study in Europe. Schools and universities received proposals for large cooperation programmes. And Europe gave in," he adds.
Interference in the order of the western world
The expert emphasises that what was characteristic of Chinese intelligence was that it mainly interfered in matters of its diaspora. Hence, even knowing about its activity, the services treated Chinese intelligence activities as internal matters of China.
However, this has also changed. "Now the Chinese have suddenly become more active and, like the Russians, are interfering in the order of the Western world and its politics," stated Zhirnov. "The era of technology secret thieves is seemingly over," he adds.
Chinese spies are tasked with infiltrating European political parties. This allows them not only to gain direct knowledge of what is being said about China in Europe but also to influence the appointment of people who can make Beijing-friendly political decisions. "Russia has been doing this for a long time. It seems China has also decided to go in this direction," notes Zhirnov.
The expert believes that the Chinese are not interested in the war in Ukraine because it does not concern their country. "They have an interest in the war continuing. They are pleased that Russia is becoming weaker due to this war," he emphasises.
