A rich talent pool
China is looking to further exploit Russia’s extensive spy network in Europe to advance its own goals, namely splitting EU countries and weakening their relationship with Washington, according to security experts.
“These are basically people who for a long time have been coopted by the Russians and then, of late, the Chinese step in,” said Filip Jirous, an independent analyst focusing on China. “This may be because they viewed these people as being susceptible to whatever promises they were able to make.”
“Ideology is definitely a factor, more so than money,” he added.
Earlier this year German police arrested the parliamentary assistant of far-right German EU lawmaker Maximilian Krah on suspicion that he was spying for China. The arrest came days after Krah was named as a key participant in the Voice of Europe network.
“As [China] and Russia continue to align, individual cooptees will more likely work for both authoritarian states,” Jirous wrote in an article for the Jamestown Foundation.
An added bonus: If these politicians have put “skin in the game” by personally participating in a mission to serve Moscow’s interests, such as joining an election observation mission in a contested territory, like Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine, or inside Russia itself.
Dozens of far-right and far-left politicians from multiple EU countries have already joined in such missions, creating a rich pool of potential recruits. (A quick look through this searchable database turned up serving members of Alternative for Germany, France’s National Rally and Vlaams Belang, among others.) Spokespeople for these parties did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
