NATO and the EU supported the Czech Republic in connection with the Chinese cyber campaign

Brussels – NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas stated that they stand with the Czech Republic in connection with the Chinese cyber campaign against the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This came after the Czech government today identified China as responsible for a harmful cyber campaign against one of the ministry’s communication networks.

According to Czech authorities, the cyber attack was carried out by the cyber espionage group Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT31), which is publicly linked to the intelligence service of the Chinese Ministry of State Security.

This is a clear and unacceptable violation of international norms, wrote Kallas on the social network X. “We stand firmly with the Czech Republic,” she added. In her broader statement, EU diplomacy states that “the European Union and its member states, together with international partners, express solidarity with the Czech Republic in connection with the harmful cyber campaign targeting its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

According to EU diplomacy, harmful cyber activities linked to China targeting the EU and its member states have intensified in recent years. “In 2021, we urgently called on Chinese authorities to take action against harmful cyber activities conducted from their territory,” the statement reads. “During bilateral meetings, we have repeatedly expressed our concerns and will continue to do so in the future,” the text adds.

The European Union also called on all states, including China, to refrain from such behavior, respect international law, and adhere to UN norms and principles.

“We stand with the Czech Republic in connection with the malicious cyber campaign against its Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” NATO Secretary General Rutte responded in a statement. “With growing concern, we observe an increasing pattern of harmful cyber activities originating from the People’s Republic of China,” he added. (May 28)