Former aide to German far-right lawmaker in the European Parliament is convicted of spying for China

A man who worked for a prominent German far-right lawmaker in the European Parliament was convicted Tuesday of spying for China for more than four years, according to German news agency dpa

A man who worked for a prominent German far-right lawmaker in the European Parliament was convicted Tuesday of spying for China for more than four years, according to German news agency dpa.

Jian Guo, a German citizen, was accused of working for a Chinese intelligence service and of repeatedly passing on information on negotiations and decisions in the EU Parliament between September 2019 and April 2024, when he was arrested.

He was sentenced Tuesday to four years and nine months in prison, dpa reported. He denied wrongdoing during a court hearing last week.

China’s foreign ministry last year said reports in Europe about Chinese spying are all “hyping up with an aim to smear and suppress China.”

Guo also snooped on Chinese dissidents in Germany and gathered information on prominent politicians with the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD.