Germany-China tensions rise over military snooping claims
Tehran (KNA) - A diplomatic row is brewing between Germany and China over allegations of Chinese reporters snooping around a military base during a visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel this month.
The reporters were accredited along with other journalists to enter the base and report on Merkel's visit to the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force training area at Munster, Germany, on May 20.
German authorities say state-run Xinhua reporters had raised suspicion by filming military equipment and interviewing soldiers about their daily routines.
A German intelligence official, cited by Bloomberg, said Xinhua has been under observation for some time due to its alleged links to China's ruling Communist party.
"German intelligence views Xinhua reporters as feeding Chinese propaganda efforts and helping collect data and information abroad that's subsequently put to official use," it quoted the unnamed official as saying.
Source: PressTV