The UK has been accused of “helping Russia pay for its war on Ukraine” by continuing to import record amounts of refined oil from countries processing Kremlin fossil fuels. Government data analysed by the environmental news site Desmog shows that imports of refined oil from India, China and Turkey amounted to £2.2bn in 2023, the same record value as the previous year, up from £434.2m in 2021. Russia is the largest crude oil supplier to India and China, while Turkey has become one of the biggest importers of Russian oil…
Tag: Europe
German prosecutors accuse aide to European lawmaker of spying for China
German prosecutors said Tuesday that an aide to a German lawmaker in the European Parliament had been arrested on suspicion of spying for China. Prosecutors identified the man only as Jian G., in line with German privacy laws, and said he repeatedly passed information about European Parliament negotiations to a Chinese intelligence service. The man also spied on Chinese opposition figures in Germany, prosecutors said. China’s foreign ministry said Tuesday the allegation is an attempt to “smear and suppress China and to destroy the atmosphere of cooperation between China and…
AfD politician’s aide arrested on suspicion of spying for China
An aide to a German far-right politician standing in the European elections in June has been arrested on suspicion of spying for China, German prosecutors have said. The man, named only as Jian G, was accused of sharing information about negotiations at the European parliament with a Chinese intelligence service and of spying on Chinese opposition figures in Germany, federal prosecutors said. The suspect was arrested on Monday night, hours after three German nationals were arrested on suspicion of working with China’s ministry of state security to hand over technology…
Three German citizens arrested on suspicion of spying for China
Three German citizens, a married couple from Düsseldorf and a man from Bad Homburg, have been arrested on suspicion of spying on behalf of China, prosecutors have said, in the second high-profile alleged espionage case reported in the country in days. The three are accused of passing on technical military knowhow to Chinese authorities in return for money. The head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency said it could be “just the tip of the iceberg” of spy rings operating in Germany. In one case, prosecutors allege, the trio exported a…
UK police charge two men with spying for China
LONDON — British police on Monday charged two men with spying for China, including one reported to have worked as a researcher in Britain’s parliament for a prominent lawmaker in the governing Conservative Party. Anxiety has mounted across Europe about China’s alleged espionage activity and Britain has become increasingly vocal about its concerns in recent months. The two men, aged 32 and 29, were charged with providing prejudicial information to China in breach of the Official Secrets Act, and will appear in court Friday. “This has been an extremely complex…
Global defence budget jumps to record high of $2440bn
Global military expenditure has reached a record high of $2440bn (£1970bn) after the largest annual rise in government spending on arms in over a decade, according to a report. The 6.8% increase between 2022 and 2023 was the steepest since 2009, pushing spending to the highest recorded by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) in its 60-year history. For the first time, analysts at the thinktank recorded a rise in military outlay in all five geographical regions: Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania and the Americas. Nan…
EU politicians embrace TikTok despite data security concerns
Sundsvall, Sweden — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s short videos of his three-day trip to China this week proved popular in posts on Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, which the European Union, Canada, Taiwan and the United States banned on official devices more than a year ago, citing security concerns. By Friday, one video showing highlights of Scholz’s trip had garnered 1.5 million views while another of him speaking about it on the plane home had 1.4 million views. Scholz opened his TikTok account April 8 to attract youth, promising he…
At 12, China-central and eastern Europe group faces growing pains
Vienna, Austria — Next week, China will mark the 12th anniversary of a group for central and eastern European countries it established to grow its influence in the EU. But when it does, there will be no high-level activities or celebrations to mark the group’s creation. Since 2019, the frequency of meetings between China and central and eastern European leaders has decreased, and one after another, members have withdrawn. Matej Simalcik, executive director at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, told VOA Mandarin that when the China-Central and Eastern…
German chancellor urges Xi Jinping to press Russia to end Ukraine war, saying ‘China’s word carries weight’
Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, says he has urged Xi Jinping to press Russia to end its “senseless” war in Ukraine and that the Chinese president has agreed to back a peace conference in Switzerland. Scholz said after a meeting with Xi in Beijing on Tuesday that “China’s word carries weight in Russia”. “I have therefore asked President Xi to influence Russia so that Putin finally calls off his senseless campaign, withdraw his troops and ends this terrible war,” he said on social media platform X. Scholz said Xi had agreed…
German chancellor urges China to use ‘influence’ to end Ukraine war
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged China’s leader Xi Jinping to use his country’s influence to press Russia to end its war in Ukraine. Following meetings with Xi on Tuesday in Beijing, Scholz said on the social media platform X that “China’s word carries weight in Russia,” and that “I have therefore asked President Xi to influence Russia so that Putin finally … ends this terrible war.” He added that Xi agreed to support a peace conference in Switzerland. The statements come at the tail end of Scholz’s three-day visit…