Germany and the United Kingdom have both announced the arrest of people suspected of working as Chinese spies.

Prosecutors in Berlin said on Monday that three German nationals had handed technologies with potential military purposes to Chinese intelligence, with whom they have been working since at least June 2022. The UK said two med had been arrested on suspicion of providing “prejudicial information” to Beijing.

The arrests, which appear to be unconnected, come as Western states continue to express concern over China’s economic and geopolitical policies.

The trio arrested in Germany is also accused of exporting a special laser without permission, which was pinpointed as violating the country’s export laws.

The Chinese embassy in Berlin said Beijing firmly rejected accusations that it carried out spying activities in Germany.

“We call on Germany to desist from exploiting the espionage accusation to politically manipulate the image of China and defame China,” a spokesperson for the embassy said in an emailed statement, the Reuters news agency reported.

The federal prosecutor identified the main suspect as Thomas R, who was described as an agent for a China-based employee of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). Herwig F and Ina F – a married couple who run a company in Dusseldorf – were recruited to procure cooperation from researchers.

Through their company, the couple concluded a cooperation agreement with a German university, part of which involved preparing a study for a Chinese contractor on machine parts that can be used for operating powerful marine engines such as combat ships, the statement said.

The Chinese contract partner was the same MSS employee from whom Thomas R received his orders, and all three suspects worked together, Monday’s statement added.

The suspects bought the special laser from Germany on behalf of and with payment from the MSS and exported it to China without authorization, according to the prosecutors.