The German ambassador to China today is was summoned by the Beijing Foreign Ministry in response to the arrest of several people in Germany on suspicion of espionage for China, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry told Reuters, BTA reports.
The spokesman added that China's ambassador to Berlin had been summoned earlier in the week to be informed of the government's "clear position on ongoing investigations into suspected Chinese espionage activities".
On Tuesday, an assistant to a member of the European Parliament from the far-right party "Alternative for Germany" (AzG) was arrested on suspicion of passing information on the discussions in the EU legislature to Chinese intelligence and spying on representatives of the Chinese opposition.
Earlier in the week, German authorities arrested three people in a separate case involving the transfer of sensitive technology to China for military purposes, fueling wider concerns that Europe is being targeted by Chinese espionage operations.