Chinese spy claims: Beijing summons German ambassador to protest after 4 arrested on espionage charges
- Patricia Flor says the summons is ‘quite telling’ and she told the Chinese foreign ministry Germany does not tolerate spying from any country
- Beijing describes the accusations as ‘groundless’ and says it has demanded that Berlin stops ‘malicious speculation and anti-China political farce’
Patricia Flor posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she had been summoned by the foreign ministry in Beijing on Thursday “after four Germans were arrested this week for allegedly spying for Chinese secret services” adding that it was a “quite telling move”.
In her tweet, Flor stressed that Germany did not tolerate spying “regardless of which country it comes from”.
She added: “We protect our democracy and our constitutional state by constitutional means. An independent court will decide on the accusations.”
On Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a scheduled press conference that Beijing “has made solemn representations with Germany over its groundless accusations”.
“We demand that Germany remain alert to attempts to damage bilateral relations, strengthen its restraints, immediately stop malicious speculation and anti-China political farce, and effectively safeguard the stable and healthy development of bilateral relations,” he said.
Earlier this week, German prosecutors announced the arrest of four Germans suspected of spying for China in two separate cases, fuelling European concerns about Beijing’s spying activities amid a wider debate about economic security.
