Chinese student allegedly spied at TU Munich – public prosecutor investigates

At the renowned Technical University of Munich, the public prosecutor's office is investigating a Chinese student on suspicion of industrial espionage.

The Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating a suspected espionage case at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), according to the research portal "Correctiv."

This is not the first time that TUM has had problems with industrial espionage.

According to "Correctiv," a Chinese student is suspected of having passed on "information subject to a special obligation of secrecy." This concerns the field of battery research.

According to the report, the Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed to "Correctiv" that it is investigating on suspicion of breach of private secrets, or rather, breach of official secrecy and a special duty of confidentiality. TUM stated that the investigation has been ongoing since 2023.

The research portal has been reporting repeatedly since 2022 on the problematic proximity of German universities to Chinese institutions. According to the report, Chinese students could thus pass on information to, among others, the Chinese military.

China is pursuing a “military-civilian fusion” strategy that deliberately blurs the boundaries between civilian and military research.

According to “Correctiv”, the Chinese government is systematically exploiting German expertise for military purposes.

Currently, almost 50 German universities are actively cooperating with Chinese institutions. Researchers at TUM are also working with Chinese doctoral students on military-relevant projects in rocket technology.

TUM has made a name for itself, among other things, as a university for entrepreneurs: In spring 2024, the Financial Times named TU Munich's UnternehmerTUM startup hub the best in Europe. Research and entrepreneurship converge there.

The hub also has its own venture capital fund , which invests in startups from pre-seed to Series A. According to the university, more than 70 companies are founded at TU Munich each year. Several unicorns have also been founded by university alumni.

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