In April 2024 federal prosecutors had three Germans arrested in Bad Homburg and Düsseldorf. They were suspected of working for a Chinese intelligence service and of obtaining information on militarily usable technology. A couple among them had set up a research cooperation with a German university, which began with a study on parts for powerful ship engines. In December 2025 the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf sentenced the main defendant to three years in prison and the couple to two years each on probation. The conviction was for violating EU export rules on goods that can serve both civilian and military purposes. The espionage charge was dropped. As of December 2025, the verdict was not final.