China is expanding its spying activities against Berlin. At the same time, Beijing pays more and more attention to political espionage.
This was stated by the head of Germany's domestic intelligence, Thomas Haldenwang, Reuters reports.
"China is developing large-scale espionage and influence activities. We have to be prepared for it to intensify in the coming years," Haldenwang told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.
He warned that economic dependence on China could be used for political influence.
"China is pursuing a long-term strategy to achieve its goals. The political leadership is already using its economic power, which is also a result of intensive relations with the German and European economies, to achieve political goals," Haldenwang said.
The German government is reviewing its economic relations with authoritarian countries after Russia's war against Ukraine exposed vulnerabilities in Berlin's long-standing energy dependence on Russia.
In a strategic document, the Ministry of Economy recommended introducing stricter requirements for firms working with China, for example by conducting regular stress tests.