二十世紀 30年代，中德雙方曾在軍事與經濟方面合作密切，然自日本發動侵華戰爭與希特勒對華政策改弦易轍後，雙方合作關係就蒙上一層陰影。隨後第二次世界大戰爆發，各主要參戰國家無不致力於在第三國建立情報網，加強從事軍事、政治與經濟情報的間諜行動。中國地處東亞大陸中心，又是西方政經勢力匯聚之處，對德國情報工作而言，不僅具備了良好的開展條件，同時也提供了理想的活動場域。
本文旨在探討在德國的國家戰略布局中，其在華軍事情報機關的發展與情報活動，特別是 1941年後在日據中國地區內從事的情報工作。雖然 1941年 7月德國承認汪精衛政權，導致重慶國民政府對德斷交；同年12月珍珠港事變後，中國對德宣戰，更將雙方僅存的經貿關係劃上休止符。但在德國軍事當局考量上，由於中國戰略地理位置的優越性，以及國民政府是當時極少數可與英、美、蘇西方盟國政府高層聯繫的國家等因素，因此在蒐集與戰爭發展有關的「軍事情報」上，中國地區作為遠東情報工作的基地，對德國軍事情報組織而言，都別具有戰略意義與價值。

China and Germany cooperated closely in military and economic matters during the 1930s; but, following Japan’s invasion of China and the
change of Hitler’s policy toward China, the relationship between the two
became muggy. Then, due to the outbreak of World War II, each of the
belligerents put all of their forces into establishing informant nets in third countries and reinforcing their intelligence activities in military, politics and economy. To German intelligence, China－the centre of East Asia and the focus of the Western political and economic powers－not only possessed fine conditions for development, it provided an ideal area for intelligence activities.
This article aims to explore the development and the espionage activity
of German military intelligence in the framework of its national strategy
during the world war in China, especially the espionage work conducted in the Japan-occupied China after 1941. Even though in 1941 Germany
acknowledged that the puppet government of Wang Chin-Wei had caused the
break of diplomatic relations with the Kuomintang regime, but not until
Nationalist China’s declaration of war on Germany in December of the same
year effectively put their economic relationship at an end. However, the
German military authorities saw China’s strategic geographic position and
unique status as one of the few countries that kept high level contact with England, United States, and Soviet Union. Germany thus used China as the base for its espionage activity in the Far East, especially for the gathering of military intelligence on the war in its Far East theater.