Beijing has stated that the rights of those detained in the espionage case must be protected. This concerns Chinese citizens arrested in Ukraine.
China's Foreign Ministry said it was investigating reports of the arrest of two Chinese citizens in Ukraine.
Newsweek writes about this.
According to available information, the father and son are suspected of spying on Ukraine's Neptune anti-ship missile program.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said during a briefing on July 10 that “the rights of Chinese citizens must be protected in accordance with international law.”
Beijing emphasized that China is not a participant in the war in Ukraine and does not supply weapons to either side of the conflict.
Despite this, the strategic partnership between China and Russia deepened during the war. In particular, Beijing played a key role in supporting the Russian economy under sanctions, continuing large-scale purchases of oil from Moscow.
Let us recall that in Kyiv, the Security Service of Ukraine detained two Chinese citizens suspected of espionage activities related to the exploration of secret technologies for the production of Ukrainian anti-ship missiles “Neptune”.
Among the defendants is a 24-year-old Chinese citizen, a former student at a Kyiv technical university who remained in Ukraine after being expelled in 2023 due to academic failure.
The second suspect is his father, who lives in China but periodically comes to Ukraine to personally coordinate his son’s actions.
The investigation established that the young man had the goal of obtaining technical documentation related to the development of the Neptune missile system. In particular, he tried to recruit a Ukrainian specialist who had access to innovative developments in the defense sector.
According to the law, the suspects face up to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property.
