LONDON, March 26 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UK government has formally accused China of being behind what it called “malicious” cyber campaigns against MPs and the Electoral Commission.
Two people and a company have been sanctioned over cyber-attacks.
Deputy PM Oliver Dowden said they were behind attempts to access details of MPs critical of Beijing, as well as the data of potentially 40 million voters.
The Chinese embassy in the UK says these are “completely unfounded” claims amounting to “malicious slander”.
The two Chinese nationals sanctioned by the UK are Zhao Guangzong and Ni Gaobin and the company is Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company Ltd, said by the British government to work for the China state-affiliated cyber espionage group Advanced Persistent Threat Group 31 (APT31).
The UK sanctions will freeze assets, barring UK citizens and businesses from handling their funds or resources. A travel ban will also prevent them from entering or remaining in the UK.
“The UK will not tolerate malicious cyber activity,” Dowden said. “It is an absolute priority for the UK government to protect our democratic system and values.”
The Chinese ambassador is being called in to be held “to account for China’s conduct in these incidents”, Dowden added.
The US has announced that the same two Chinese nationals are among a group of seven facing criminal charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in New York.
Authorities in New Zealand have also accused China of targeting its parliamentary network in 2021, with the country’s defence minister Judith Collins saying the Chinese state-sponsored group known as APT40 was behind the hacking activity.
But New Zealand said it would not introduce sanctions, as it was not part of the government’s legislative agenda.
The cyber attack on the UK Electoral Commission between August 2021 and October 2022 was one of the most significant in British history.
Not only were databases containing names and addresses of people accessed, but also sensitive emails from its “control systems” and between election officials over six by-elections.
However, Dowden said the security of elections had not been compromised and “typically does not create a risk to those affected”.
The MPs targeted are all members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, which scrutinises, and often criticises, the activities of Beijing.
Dowden credited the Defending Democracy taskforce, a committee that tracks election threats, with pinpointing China-affiliated organisations and individuals behind cyber operations.
Sanctioning groups linked to China, a fellow member of the UN Security Council, is an escalation in the diplomatic tension between the two countries.
This marks a major change from just a few years ago, when British leaders aimed to usher in a “Golden Age” with China.
In a statement rejecting British claims of Chinese state involvement, the Chinese embassy said: “The UK’s hype-up of the so-called ‘Chinese cyber attacks’ without basis and the announcement of sanctions is outright political manipulation and malicious slander.
“We have no interest or need to meddle in the UK’s internal affairs.”
China urged the UK to “immediately stop spreading false information” about the country, the statement added.
UK government concern over Chinese espionage and parliamentary interference has been rising.
In September 2023, a parliamentary researcher was arrested under the Official Secrets Act accused of spying for China.
And a year before, an unusual parliamentary interference alert was issued regarding the activities of UK-based lawyer Christine Lee.
The government stresses it has rejected or wound down Chinese investment in infrastructure in recent years on national security grounds. — NNN-AGENCIES
