A former assistant to a far-right German lawmaker in the European Parliament goes on trial on Tuesday over accusations of spying for Chinese intelligence.
Prosecutors believe that the defendant, who is only named as Jian G in line with Germany’s strict privacy laws, has been working for a Chinese secret service since 2002.
A German national, Jian G used to work as an assistant in the parliamentary office of Maximilian Krah, a member of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party who sat in the European Parliament from 2019 to 2025.
Jian G is accused of having gathered intelligence and confidential documents and passed them on to Chinese contacts while working for Krah from September 2019 until April 2024, when he was arrested.
He also faces accusations of having gathered information on leading AfD politicians and spying on Chinese dissidents.
His co-defendant, Chinese national Jaqi X, is accused of having assisted Jian G.
At the time, Jaqi X worked for a logistics service provider at Leipzig Airport in eastern Germany and is said to have repeatedly provided Jian G with data on flights, freight and passengers – in particular regarding the transport of defence goods.
The Dresden court has scheduled 13 trial days until the end of September.
Krah, who is now serving as a lawmaker in the German parliament, is a highly controversial figure himself, even within his own party.
He faces a separate investigation over accusations of bribery by China and money laundering related to his time in the European Parliament. He has rejected the claims.