A Chinese woman has been arrested in Leipzig on suspicion of sharing sensitive information about Leipzig/Halle airport, a key transport hub for Germany’s defense industry, with Chinese intelligence. German prosecutors identified the woman, Yaqi X, 38, as an employee of a logistics company operating at the airport.
She allegedly sent details about flights, passengers, and military cargo transport to a contact working for China’s intelligence services. The airport is a crucial center for defense exports, particularly to Ukraine.
Earlier this year, another suspect, Jian G, was also detained. He had previously worked as an aide to a member of the European Parliament from Germany’s far-right AfD party. Prosecutors allege that between August 2023 and February 2024, Yaqi X provided Jian G with information about military equipment and personnel movements tied to a German arms company, which sources suggest was Rheinmetall, Germany’s largest defense firm involved in supplying Ukraine with weapons and military equipment.
Yaqi X was remanded in custody after searches of her home and workplace. Her case appears connected to the spying charges against Jian G, who was dismissed by MEP Maximilian Krah following an investigation last April. Krah’s Brussels office was searched, though no evidence has linked him to the espionage activities.
Jian G is accused of spying on Chinese dissidents in Germany and passing information about the European Parliament to Chinese intelligence. He had worked with dissident groups before obtaining German citizenship in 2002.
