German Air Force officers train Chinese pilots on contracts through virtual companies based in Seychelles, according to a report by Der Spiegel.

Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, promised to fully investigate the case.

According to the report, at least five former Luftwaffe officers have been employed as instructors in China for years and their salaries often come from front companies in the Seychelles. One of the pilots even worked for a Chinese spy’s company, who was recently exposed.

As Spiegel reports, German officers estimate that the pilots have disclosed, among other things, classified information they had access to because of their position, including information about Bundeswehr and NATO operational tactics.

At the same time, as part of training programs, they may have developed and tested scenarios of China invading Taiwan. One of the pilots has denied his involvement, while the others could not be contacted, the news agency reports.

German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, from Singapore, where he is located, stated that each case should be investigated separately and promised that any violation would be punished.

Mr. Pistorius also noted that while former officials are allowed to engage in other professional activities, those activities should be legal and consistent with their obligations. There are rules on what militaries can and cannot do after the completion of their military service, what activities must be reported to the Ministry of Defence along with clear rules on classified information, the Minister added.

The head of the Federal Parliament’s Defence Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmerman, told Spiegel that the time has come to put an end to German naivety, referring to the help for China to upgrade its Air Force unacceptable, stressing that retired personnel of the German Armed Forces should limit their activities to NATO member-states and their strategic partners.

Source: APA MPA

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