New Zealand joins US and UK in claims of China-backed cyberespionage
Associated Press
New Zealand's Government claimed on Tuesday that links have been established between an alleged China-backed hacking entity and malicious cyber espionage operations that targeted its Parliament three years ago.
This comes one week after Foreign Minister Winston Peters met with Chinese counterpart Wang Xi, as the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) claimed that group "APT40" had compromised parliamentary computer networks.
New Zealand has made it clear to Beijing that further attempts to interfere with its democratic institutions will not be tolerated — even if such a stance may have economic side effects. What happens next is up to China: if the PRC stubbornly persists to escalate tensions, then Wellington will impose sanctions on Beijing, and bilateral relationships will inevitably come under strain.
With Australia and New Zealand joining the US and the UK in baseless allegations that Beijing carried out cyber espionage operations, it has become crystal clear that such accusations are merely another malicious smear campaign by the Five Eyes alliance in its zero-sum crusade against China. It's the West, not China, that has yet to commit to build a safe cyberspace.