Espionage: The US and UK sanction China over cyberattacks
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: China has condemned the United States and the United Kingdom for imposing sanctions over alleged Chinese government-backed cyberattacks, calling the Western allies’ move an act of “political manipulation.”
Washington and London on Monday announced a set of criminal charges and sanctions against seven Chinese hackers for allegedly conducting sweeping attacks on behalf of China’s civilian intelligence agency, the media reported.
China’s months-long campaign allegedly targeted American officials, senators, journalists, and companies – including Pentagon contractors – as well as British parliamentarians, the UK’s election watchdog, and members of the European Parliament, affecting millions of people.
New Zealand also weighed in on Tuesday, accusing state-sponsored Chinese hackers of launching “malicious cyber activity” against the country’s parliament in 2021.
Allegations of cyber espionage have long been a major point of friction between Beijing and Washington, with the US indicting a series of Chinese hackers in recent years.
The public accusations from three members of the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance of English-speaking countries—the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—show key Western democracies are now taking a more concerted – and coordinated – stand against what they view as unacceptable levels of hacking and espionage by Beijing.
At a news conference on Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry lashed out at the US and the UK, accusing them of “hyping up the so-called cyberattacks by China.”
“This is purely political manipulation. China is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it,” ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, adding China has made solemn representations to both sides, according to reports.
“We urge the United States and the United Kingdom to stop politicizing cyber security issues, stop slandering and smearing China, impose unilateral sanctions, and stop cyberattacks on China.”
The spokesperson did not, however, mention New Zealand.
The European Union and Australia also supported the UK and voiced concerns over China’s alleged malicious cyber activities, as Beijing comes under growing scrutiny in a big election year for democracies around the world.
The accusations and sanctions come as China is trying to manage tensions and repair frayed relations with major Western powers, as it grapples with a host of economic challenges including an exodus of foreign investment.
Lin Jian blamed the US for encouraging the Five Eyes alliance “to spread all kinds of disinformation about the threats posed by Chinese hackers for geopolitical purposes.”
London’s sanctions against two Chinese nationals and a technology company in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic in 2020, mark the first time Britain has slapped penalties on Chinese state-affiliated entities for alleged cyberattacks, amid Western intelligence agencies’ alarms in recent years.
British cybersecurity officials said a Chinese state-backed hacking group known as APT31 had “conducted reconnaissance activity” against British parliamentarians who were openly critical of Beijing in 2021.
Chinese hackers have also “highly likely” breached the UK’s Electoral Commission in 2021 and 2022 and accessed personal data of 40 million voters, British officials said.
On Tuesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Beijing had made “technical clarification” in response to the APT31-related information submitted by the UK, calling its evidence “insufficient” and “unprofessional.”
In September 2023, a British parliamentary researcher was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
