Chinese Family Runs Hotel Near F-35 Airbase
Swiss Police Recently Detained Them
Chinese Government Fully Denies Charges
A 'spy scandal' has erupted in Switzerland, which decided to introduce the cutting-edge 5th generation fighter jet F-35 developed in the United States. A Chinese family moved near the airbase where the F-35 is to be deployed and started operating a hotel, leading authorities to identify them as Chinese spies. However, the Chinese government strongly denies these allegations.
On the 16th (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) focused on the spy conflict in Switzerland surrounding the F-35. Recently, the Swiss Federal Police arrested Mr. Wang Jin, his wife, and their son Dawei, who operated the 'Hotel Roesli' near the Swiss Air Force airbase. The family is suspected of spying on the latest fighter jets on behalf of Chinese intelligence agencies.
'Hotel Roesli' located in the village near the airfield where the Swiss Federal Air Force F-35 will be deployed. [Image source=Google Maps capture]
The media viewed the Swiss police's actions as justified. The reason lies in Article 7 of the Chinese National Security Law enacted in 2017. The law stipulates that "all organizations and individuals must support, assist, and cooperate with the state's intelligence activities according to relevant laws." In other words, any Chinese national operating abroad is at risk of becoming a spy.
Earlier, the Swiss federal government decided to import the F-35 from the United States. The aircraft is scheduled to be deployed in 2028. After the deployment of the F-35 by the Swiss military was confirmed, the Wang family entered Switzerland and began operating the hotel.
However, it is currently impossible to confirm whether the Wang family is truly spies for Chinese intelligence based on publicly available information. There is no concrete evidence to determine whether Mr. Wang collected military information while managing the hotel.
However, local villagers pointed to suspicious signs such as ▲ Mr. Wang and his wife barely speaking any foreign languages ▲ crossing the border on tourist visas without Swiss permanent residency ▲ and their son, who graduated in hotel management, not even being able to make proper coffee.
Recently, several regions in Europe have seen a series of controversies over Chinese spies. The British media outlet The Times recently reported that two former parliamentary researchers were charged with being Chinese spies. In Germany, three people were arrested on espionage charges. However, all five individuals were citizens of their respective countries.
Last year, the US CNBC broadcast released a documentary highlighting Chinese industrial spies infiltrating advanced industrial countries, which sparked controversy. The program covered the activities of Shi Yanjin, an agent of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, who disguised himself as an engineer since 2013 to infiltrate a US aerospace company and attempted to steal critical aerospace-related technologies.
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