UK accuses China of cyber-attacks
Britain raised accusations against Chinese hackers on Monday, claiming they attempted to breach the email accounts of British lawmakers critical of China.
Additionally, a separate Chinese entity was said to be responsible for a cyberattack on Britain’s electoral watchdog, compromising data belonging to millions of individuals.
In response to the 2021 attempted email hack targeting British politicians critical of China, including 43 individuals including MPs and peers. Britain took action by imposing sanctions on two individuals and one company associated with the state-backed Chinese hacking group APT31.
Britain has also attributed a cyberattack on its Electoral Commission between 2021 and 2022 to an undisclosed Chinese state-affiliated hacking group. Although the hack was disclosed last year, Britain had not previously identified the responsible party.
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden informed parliament about these attacks, stating they “demonstrate a clear and persistent pattern of behavior indicating hostile intent from China”. He further noted that the foreign office had summoned the Chinese ambassador to provide an explanation.
Rishi Sunak was forced to defend the government’s approach to China following the revelations, saying it is “completely and utterly wrong” to suggest the government was afraid to take tough action against China, as the UK’s approach is “more robust” than its allies.
He said, “I am entirely confident that our approach to dealing with the risk that China poses is very much in line with our allies and in most cases goes further in protecting ourselves.”
While some outlets reacted with concern and calls for tougher action against China, others were more aligned towards supporting the government’s response.
The government has also been under pressure to officially designate China a national security threat, which some outlets support – while others overlook the attacks in favour of maintaining a healthy relationship with Beijing.
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