FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The so-called new Cold War between the US and China has apparently also brought a large number of Russian and Chinese 007s to the area, eager to influence the dynamics of the EU...
Belgium continues to be the European crossroads of espionage. A few years ago, Brussels came into the spotlight precisely because of the many active spies in the city.
" There is no way to stop it. You just have to assume at all times that the Russians and the Chinese are listening ," declared Howard Gutman, the former US ambassador to Belgium, offering a detailed description of what was happening in the Belgian capital.
The capital where spying on "friends" and "enemies" seems to have become a very normal activity on the part of foreign intelligence agencies, drawn mainly from the European Parliament, the heart of the Union and from NATO.
The so-called new Cold War between the US and China has apparently also brought a large number of Russian and Chinese 007s to the area, eager to influence EU dynamics or steal some secrets. In this regard, the "Financial Times" devoted a long study to the case of a far-right Belgian politician who was allegedly used as an intelligence source by Chinese spies for more than three years.
The Belgian politician and the Chinese spies
The story involving former Belgian senator Frank Creyelman would be an example of how Beijing carried out influence operations within the EU in an attempt to modify its policies in its favor.
Also according to the FT, Daniel Woo, an officer of China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) spy agency, pushed Creyelman to influence discussions in Europe on a range of issues from the Hong Kong dossier to Xinjiang.
As German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was set to visit China in late 2022, Woo apparently asked the Belgian senator to force two right-wing members of the European Parliament to say publicly that the US and UK were undermining European energy security. . "Our goal is to separate the relationship between the United States and Europe," Woo himself wrote in a message sent to Creyelman.
The relationship between the Chinese official and his Belgian agent is documented in numerous text messages spanning from 2019 to the end of 2022, obtained by a Western security source in a joint investigation by the Financial Times, Der Spiegel and Le Monde.
Shadow of the Dragon
While most major countries engage in, so to speak, more "traditional" espionage, the actions of the MSS in Europe highlight one of the distinguishing features of the Chinese modus operandi that of conducting far-reaching operations aimed at shaping debate. political, involving Ottawa, London and Canberra, on some of the most important issues.
Woo is believed to belong to the MSS branch of China's Zhejiang province, according to intelligence officials from four Western countries, who also tracked him while operating in Poland and Romania.
Peter Mattis, a former CIA counterintelligence analyst, said this illustrates a second characteristic of Chinese intelligence: The MSS gives too much autonomy to its regional branches. "The case shows that Beijing and the MSS provide guidance, but intelligence officers and sources work together on how to achieve their goals," said Mattis himself, head of the Jamestown Foundation think tank.
Back to the point, it is unclear how and when Creyelman was recruited. His relationship with Woo appears to have been long-distance, with the exception of a trip by the Belgian to Sanya, a seaside resort on Hainan Island, in 2019 to allegedly meet his intelligence officer.
A veteran of the far-right Flemish nationalist movement since 1977, Creyelman served in the federal Senate from 1999 to 2007 and is now an honorary member of the Flemish parliament. Until Friday he was leader of the Vlaams Belang party in his hometown of Mechelen. Tom Van Grieken, the leader of Vlaams Belang, said on Friday that Creyelman's actions "go against the purpose and essence, even the name, of our party" and announced that he would be expelled from the party with immediate effect. / Adapted "Pamphlet" from "Inside Over"
Lini një Përgjigje