Intelligence warns: China is after our space technology | Interior

Apr 19, 2023 at 9:11 PMUpdate: 5 minutes ago

According to the military intelligence service MIVD, China wants to extract knowledge and goods from the Dutch space sector. Last year, the agency discovered and prevented several Chinese attempts to obtain our (military) technology.

The Chinese are particularly interested in high technology and the shipping industry. The Chinese are trying to acquire military technology through front companies, the agency’s annual report says.

According to the MIVD, China is looking for technology to strengthen its military capacity in space. The country wants special quantum communication networks that are faster and harder to intercept. “That is a major military advantage,” says MIVD CEO Jan Swillens.

According to the MIVD, China invests an extremely large amount of money in high-quality technology. This concerns (military applications of) artificial intelligence, quantum computers and quantum sensors. Those investments are “almost unmatchable by the West,” warns the service.

At the beginning of this week, the intelligence service AIVD reported that China is the greatest threat to economic security in the Netherlands. That led to an angry reaction. The Netherlands must stop whipping up the so-called ‘Chinese threat’, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded.

The intelligence services have been warning of Chinese espionage for years. Our country is a sought-after target because of the many high-tech companies. For example, chip machine maker ASML announced in February that a Chinese employee had stolen information from the company.

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