This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now licensed for reprint.
A German legislative aide who was detained in Germany for spying on China was well-known in the pro-democracy movement abroad, had visited the Dalai Lama, and had been able to return sensitive information to Beijing, according to activists who spoke to Radio Free Asia in new interviews.
European national Guo Jian, who has since been suspended from his position as an aide to far-right German Parliamentarian Maximilian Krah, was detained by police in Dresden on Monday.  ,
Federal prosecutors claimed that he was employed by a Chinese intelligence firm and that he had consistently provided information to the company regarding European Parliament decisions and negotiations in January.
Guo is also accused of spying on Chinese opposition leaders and foreign protesters in Germany, and has been held in custody pending a possible prosecution.
The situation has previously more highlighted concerns over Beijing’s “long- finger” enforcement , of its laws and directives around the world, and its ongoing reduction of international dissidents and democracy activists via , secret police stations,  , outside activities , by its brains agents and a network of” diplomatic volunteers”.
Easy access
One well-known international democracy activist told RFA Cantonese that she knew Guo personally and had seen him at a number of their recent gatherings.
Sheng Xue, a writer and activist based in Canada, claimed to have met Guo several times at pro-democracy events and that she had spotted him observing the majority of his movements.
Guo Jian was able to access these circles with ease, according to Sheng. He was also the secretary-general of the China Republican Party and the director of the Federation for a Democratic China, so he was familiar with everyone’s information.
She said,” It’s highly likely that he gave everything to the Chinese Communist Party in order to harm these groups of anti-communists and their effectiveness.”
Su Yutong, a rights activist and journalist based in Germany, claimed Guo held those positions within the two organizations through her X account.
In a tweet on April 23rd, Su noted that” Guo Jian has been active in the German democratic circle.” He has also held the positions of secretary general of an organization called the China Republican Party and director of the German branch of the Federation for a Democratic China.
” In short, people in the democracy movement trusted him a great deal”, she said. ” Many well-known Democrats have taken part in the meetings he helped to prepare,” he said.
Su claimed that Guo had also been” close to Tibetan organizations” and that he had organized a group of people to visit Dharamsala and meet the Dalai Lama, sharing a photo from the trip.
Meeting the Dalai Lama
Su’s claim, along with a photo she shared of Guo with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, was still accessible on the official Chinese-language website of the Tibetan government in exile on Thursday, which confirms Su’s claim.
In the article, endorsed by the Central Tibetan Administration’s European Liaison Office, Guo describes his visit as” a democratic learning journey”, and says “democracy activists must communicate more with Tibetans and learn about their democratic achievements”.
Sheng emphasized how global a reach Beijing has had when it comes to bringing down dissidents and activists abroad. Guo’s arrest highlights this.
” The Chinese Communist Party has put huge effort into bribing and infiltrating the politics, economy, media and academic life of various countries”, she said.
Cheng Shih-kuang, a political commentator from Germany who is descended from Taiwan, claimed that China is only just beginning to realize how many foreign agents work for Chinese intelligence agencies.
” We have seen how Guo Jian was able to lurk within the pro- democracy movement”, Cheng said. ” He is a mole for Red China, spying for the Chinese Communist Party”.
German citizen
Guo became a German citizen in 2011, and had offered his services as an informant 10 years ago to German intelligence, which rejected him due to concerns about his trustworthiness.
His arrest comes as British police are pursuing charges against two men accused of spying for China, including one allegedly working as a researcher for a prominent Conservative Party member in the country’s parliament.
The two men, 32 and 29, are accused of breaking the Official Secrets Act by giving China unwarranted information. They will show up in court on Friday.
China on Tuesday dismissed the spying allegations against Europe as “hype intended to smearing China”
We also noticed reports in the UK in recent days, according to Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, at a regular press briefing in Beijing.  ,
We urge the relevant parties to stop spreading false information about the alleged” China spy threat” and to stop political deception and malicious tarnishing against China, Wang said.
However, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser argued that people should be cautious about hiring new employees if the allegations are proven.
Through her X-linked account, Faeser claimed,” If it is confirmed that someone is spying for Chinese intelligence agencies from within the European Parliament, then this is an attack on the European democratic system.”  ,
Three people are also accused of giving Chinese intelligence information that might have a military use, according to German prosecutors on Monday.
The allegations came as , U. K. based Hong Kong activist Simon Cheng , said he was followed on April 9 by unidentified people who spoke Mandarin, then pretended they did n’t and swiftly left when confronted by him and his companions at London’s prestigious Inner Temple legal quarter.
In a recent interview, Cheng claimed that he and his friends moved seats three times in a cafe to avoid being overheard, and that they have since grown closer together.
He said he later informed the police of the incident, which he linked to the recent passage of the , Article 23 national security law , in Hong Kong, which the authorities have vowed to use to target overseas activists and dissidents deemed to be “fugitives” from Hong Kong.
” After Article 23 passed, the Secretary for Security told the media that their primary enforcement targets were’ overseas absconders ‘”, Cheng said. I can see clearly that the monitoring of my activities in the UK has been improved and enhanced since the passage of Article 23.
” They are now testing how far the Chinese Communist Party can go in its overseas suppression]of dissent ]”, he said.
