August Hanning, the former head of German intelligence arrested on suspicion of espionage, allegedly had longstanding ties to a former Chinese general (press)

August Hanning, the former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service arrested on charges of allegedly disclosing confidential information to foreign agents, is reported to have had long-standing contacts with a former Chinese major general, according to the German magazine Der Spiegel, cited by dpa and Agerpres.

The German publication reports that Hanning had longstanding ties with Wang Jianzheng, a former Chinese major general and specialist in German affairs. He worked at the Chinese Embassy in the former German Democratic Republic and translated several German books into Chinese. Hanning allegedly traveled to China several times and met with the former official.

Prosecutors did not specify what information was allegedly provided or to whom. According to the allegations, the confidential documents allegedly came from Hanning’s former chief of staff, who is said to have had contacts with agents of foreign intelligence services.

The former official’s lawyer rejected the allegations in a statement to Der Spiegel and argued that Hanning had not harmed Germany’s interests and that his indictment was unfounded.