Economic Espionage: BSW demands equal standards for protection in Saxony

The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) faction in the Saxon state parliament is calling for consistent standards in dealing with economic espionage, arguing that the origin of the threat should not influence the assessment of risk.

BSW representative Bernd Rudolph stated that the focus should solely be on the actual access capabilities of foreign states and their intelligence services, and the resulting risks for Saxony. He criticized the state government's response to a parliamentary inquiry, which he claims extensively details China's legal access possibilities but remains largely silent on those of the United States and Israel. Rudolph specifically asked about economic espionage by these three nations.

According to the Interior Ministry, China pursues an "ambitious and long-term program" to catch up with leading industrial nations in future-oriented industries and technologies. China's five-year plans aim for the country to become a leading "high-tech nation" by 2049. The ministry acknowledges that China's intelligence services have comprehensive access and enforcement rights to support this goal. The ministry also noted that risks arising from national security or intelligence laws of origin countries should not be ignored, particularly concerning foreign company stakes, joint ventures, research cooperation, and especially in security-relevant or technologically sensitive areas.

Rudolph emphasized the importance of this for Saxony as a high-tech location, stating that trade secrets, research knowledge, and sensitive data must be effectively protected from foreign intelligence services, especially where semiconductors, microelectronics, and other key technologies are developed. He plans to press the Interior Ministry for details on how U.S. and Israeli data access rights and security laws are factored into the risk assessments by Saxony's constitutional protection agency. "Equal risks must be assessed by equal standards," Rudolph asserted, advocating for economic protection without political bias.