Britain on Tuesday (Mar 26) summoned the chargé d’affaires of the Chinese embassy to register its protest against the alleged cyber-attacks from Chinese state actors against the UK’s democratic institutions.
“The (Foreign Office) set out the Government’s unequivocal condemnation of Chinese state-affiliated organisations and individuals undertaking malicious cyber activity against UK democratic institutions and parliamentarians,” a spokesperson for Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement.
“The UK Government would not tolerate such threatening activity, and would continue to take strong action with partners across the globe to respond,” the statement added.
Allegations against Chinese hackers
Authorities in the UK, US and New Zealand have accused China-linked hackers this week of targeting election officials, journalists, parliamentarians and pro-democracy activists.
The US State Department announced it was indicting seven hackers from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), including Ni Gaobin, Weng Ming, Cheng Feng, Peng Yaowen, Sun Xiaohuannouncedi, Xiong Wang, and Zhao Guangzong.
“The United States Government is taking a series of actions against APT 31, a cyber threat group connected to the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that has targeted US officials, politicians and campaign officials, various US economic and defence entities and officials, as well as foreign democracy activists, academics, and government officials,” the department said in a statement.
Watch: UK: Britain blames China for cyberattacks on election commission, politicians
The UK also accused China of targeting “democratic institutions and parliamentarians” in two cyber campaigns. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden revealed that a “Chinese state-affiliated entity” likely compromised UK Electoral Commission systems, though election security remained unaffected.
China dismisses claims
As expected, the Chinese foreign ministry on Tuesday vehemently dismissed the claims and termed them as “typical political manipulation”.
“For some time, the U.S., for geopolitical purposes, has encouraged the Five Eyes Alliance, the world’s largest intelligence organization dominated by the U.S., to fabricate and disseminate all kinds of disinformation about threats posed by Chinese hackers,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.
Concerns
China’s activities threatening cyber security in democratic nations have raised concerns about its ambitions to meddle in the internal affairs of other nations. The fact that it’s been revealed in 2024, a year of high-stakes elections, is even more concerning.
According to some observers, China’s increased cyber activity during such sensitive times can influence or disrupt the free and fair election processes in democratic nations.
(With inputs from agencies)
