Der Spiegel: Former Head Of German Intelligence May Have Passed Information To A Chinese General
- 9.10.2026, 10:14
A retired major general in the Chinese Army served as a military diplomat in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
The former head of Germany's Federal Intelligence Service (BND) August Hanning, who was detained on suspicion of espionage and disclosure of state secrets, likely had contact with a Chinese military official and passed confidential information to him.
This was reported by Der Spiegel.
The former head of the BND, who was arrested on suspicion of passing top-secret information to a foreign intelligence service, likely also provided confidential data to a Chinese military official.
Hanning is accused of having received nearly 2,000 internal documents between 2010 and 2012 through his former chief of staff, 64-year-old Manfred Dankesreiter. He allegedly used some of these documents to prepare analytical reports for an officer of a foreign intelligence service, which, according to media reports, is Azerbaijan’s.
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office also stated that Hanning was in “close contact” with an employee of another foreign intelligence service and, over the course of several years, provided him with confidential political information, partly based on the agency’s materials.
According to Der Spiegel, this employee was Wang Jianzheng—a retired major general in the Chinese army who also served for 23 years as a military diplomat in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Wang was first posted to East Berlin from 1987 to 1990, toward the end of the socialist German Democratic Republic’s existence, and returned there twice after German reunification, most recently from 2009 to 2013.
He is now considered one of Beijing’s most influential experts on German affairs and continues to work at the Chinese Institute of International Strategic Studies—a state-run think tank under the auspices of the Chinese armed forces.
Wang apparently met with the former head of German intelligence at several conferences. They also served together on the advisory board of the German-Chinese “Eco-Park” in Qingdao, in eastern China.
This week, Germany’s Attorney General launched an investigation into former BND President August Hanning on suspicion of espionage, disclosure of state secrets, and treason. Another longtime intelligence service employee, Manfred D., has been charged with aiding and abetting an attempt at treason and aiding and abetting espionage to the detriment of Germany.
Media reports suggested that Hanning may have passed secret documents to an agent from Azerbaijan. However, Azerbaijan has denied these reports.