In a new investigation by Svobodna Tochka, Dr Rumena Filipova discusses the changing nature of Chinese intelligence operations across Europe.
Among her key observations:
- China’s intelligence activities increasingly rely on academia, business, technology, and professional networking platforms – not only traditional espionage.
- The line between legitimate economic or diplomatic engagement and intelligence gathering is becoming increasingly blurred.
- Intelligence collection extends well beyond classified information, targeting scientific research, emerging technologies, and strategic expertise.
- Bulgaria remains an attractive target due to its EU and NATO membership and comparatively weaker counter-intelligence capabilities.
The article also examines Bulgaria’s first publicly known espionage case involving a Chinese national and places it in the context of a broader European trend.