Belgian politician accused of spying for China

A Belgian mayor has been accused of secretly cooperating with China and spying on a member of parliament who criticized China regarding the Uyghurs, and has been warned by Belgian security agencies.

According to a report by Politico, Chinese intelligence agencies began to approach Eric Dossogne, the then mayor of the Belgian city of Huy, in 2020. Eric Dossogne had strengthened ties with China through sister city ties and agreed to spy on Samuel Cogolati, a former member of parliament who had spoken out against China on the Uyghur issue, and provide China with information on the matter.

Samuel Cogolati, who faced surveillance, was one of the proponents of a bill in 2021 condemning China's repression of the Uyghurs, when his computer was hacked by Chinese hackers.

This is not the first time Belgium has discovered a Chinese spy; in 2023, former member of parliament Frank Krielman was accused of spying for China.

Recently, China's espionage activities in various countries and organizations have been exposed one after another, revealing China's true face to the world.