Western intelligence agencies and cybersecurity organizations have been accusing Chinese hackers of conducting cyber attacks globally, stealing government and commercial secrets, as well as personal information. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, in an interview, stated that New Zealand will expose more Chinese espionage cases as part of a strategy to increase the country’s awareness of security threats.
New Zealand is one of the four Asian countries attending this year’s NATO summit held in the United States. Luxon, interviewed in Washington DC by the British Financial Times, mentioned that New Zealand aims to raise awareness of the Chinese threat in the entire business sector, following the strategic actions taken by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
He emphasized that intelligence agencies are taking a more open stance on these cases to “raise awareness of this issue and the threat among people.”
New Zealand has also joined other countries like the UK and the US in publicly condemning Chinese cyber espionage activities. On March 26th this year, the New Zealand government stated that Chinese hackers supported by the Chinese authorities launched “malicious” cyber attacks in 2021, breaching the New Zealand Parliament.
The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) of New Zealand had earlier identified a Chinese hacker group called “APT40” that breached computer systems connected to the parliament’s network in 2021. GCSB stated that APT40 is under the jurisdiction of China’s Ministry of State Security.
On July 9th, cybersecurity agencies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and Germany issued a joint notice led by Australia regarding the Chinese-supported online organization APT40. The notice pointed out that APT40 “conducts malicious cyber actions on behalf of the Ministry of State Security (MSS) of the People’s Republic of China… Previous reports indicated that the organization is based in Haikou, Hainan Province, China, and carries out missions assigned by the Haikou Public Security Bureau and the Hainan State Security Bureau.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray stated on April 9th this year that China is the primary threat of today. He warned that the number of Chinese hackers exceeds that of FBI cybersecurity personnel by more than 50 times, posing a significant threat to the infrastructures of various countries.
“Exposing these matters and making them public is necessary,” Luxon told the Financial Times.
Being a member of the Indo-Pacific region, New Zealand closely monitors the South China Sea disputes. On June 10th, New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters visited the Philippines and held discussions with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo. Both officials exchanged views on improving bilateral relations and the security situation in the South China Sea region. Peters had criticized China in May for attempting to increase its military presence in Pacific island nations.
Luxon also emphasized to the Financial Times the need for China to fulfill its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He also expressed support for upholding international law and freedom of navigation, as well as willingness to participate in joint military exercises with allies such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the Philippines.
On April 7th, the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines conducted their first joint military exercise in the South China Sea, while China simultaneously conducted military “patrols” in that contested region.
Luxon also showed interest in the AUKUS submarine agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.