• A German court sentenced former aide Jian Guo to four years and nine months for spying for China.
• Guo gathered sensitive information from the European Parliament while employed by far-right politician Maximilian Krah.
• A second defendant, Yaqi X., received a suspended sentence for her role in the espionage activities.
• The case has heightened concerns over Chinese espionage targeting Europe.
• Krah, currently under investigation for corruption, denied knowledge of Guo's actions.

A German court has sentenced Jian Guo, a former aide to Maximilian Krah of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, to four years and nine months in prison for spying on behalf of China. The Dresden Higher Regional Court found Guo guilty of intelligence activities “of a particularly serious nature” during his tenure at the European Parliament from 2019 to 2024, where he allegedly gathered and shared sensitive information with Chinese officials, including documents related to parliamentary negotiations and decisions, as well as personal details on AfD leaders, according to Le Monde, Reuters, and TRT Global.

On trial for his activities, Jian Guo had been accused of working for a Chinese intelligence service since 2002 and passing on classified documents from the European Parliament. The court heard that he was also involved in spying on Chinese dissidents in Europe. "I have not worked for a Chinese intelligence service and I am innocent," he stated during the trial, defending his position against the charges, according to South China Morning Post and Anadolu Agency.

A co-defendant, identified only as Yaqi X., received a suspended sentence of one year and nine months. She admitted to passing Guo information from her work with a logistics company at Leipzig Airport but claimed ignorance of any espionage operations. Prosecutors argued that she had also provided Guo details related to military aircraft and logistics involving military shipments, raising significant security concerns, as noted in reports from Le Monde, Reuters, and South China Morning Post.

Maximilian Krah has consistently denied knowledge of Jian Guo's espionage activities. Following Guo's arrest, Krah stated that he had taken necessary precautions to increase security within his office. As Krah faces ongoing investigations for corruption linked to alleged payments from Chinese sources, the case underscores the complexities surrounding political influences and foreign interference in Europe, highlighted by various news sources including Le Monde, Reuters, TRT Global, and Anadolu Agency.