Brussels – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas expressed solidarity with the Czech Republic following its identification of China as the perpetrator of a damaging cyber campaign against its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This announcement came after the Czech government linked the harmful cyber activities to a particular network within the ministry.
Czech officials attributed the cyber attack to the group known as Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT31), which is associated with the Chinese Ministry of State Security’s intelligence operations.
Kallas condemned the incident as a blatant violation of international norms, stating on the social platform X, “We stand firmly with the Czech Republic.” In her extended statement, she highlighted that “the European Union and its member states, alongside international partners, express solidarity with the Czech Republic regarding the harmful cyber campaign aimed at its Foreign Ministry.”
The EU noted a rise in harmful cyber activities associated with China targeting the EU and its member states in recent years. “In 2021, we urged Chinese authorities to combat harmful cyber actions emanating from their territory,” the statement mentioned. “We have consistently raised our concerns during bilateral discussions and will persist in doing so,” it continued.
The European Union called upon all nations, including China, to halt such misconduct, uphold international law, and adhere to UN standards and principles.
“We stand with the Czech Republic concerning the malicious cyber campaign against its Foreign Ministry,” NATO Secretary General Rutte stated. He expressed growing concern over the increasing trend of harmful cyber operations originating from the People’s Republic of China. (May 28)
Leave a Reply