New Zealand Prime Minister John Key yesterday invited Chinese officials to quiz him about reports that Wellington worked with US intelligence on a plan to hack Chinese diplomatic communications.
Beijing has reportedly expressed concern at the claims, which are based on documents from US whistleblower Edward Snowden, obtained by Auckland’s Herald on Sunday newspaper.
The newspaper reported that New Zealand intelligence and the US National Security Agency collaborated on a plan to hack a data link between China’s consulate in Auckland, New Zealand, and a nearby visa office run by China.
Photo: AFP
It said it was unclear whether the hack went ahead because Snowden fled the National Security Agency in May, 2013, before it had come to fruition.
Xinhua news agency said the Chinese embassy in Wellington issued a statement saying it was concerned about the report and attached great importance to cybersecurity.
“We will firmly safeguard our security interests and continue to guarantee our cyber and information security with concrete measures,” it said. “At present, cyberspace is riddled with chaos and uncertainty. China proposes to settle disputes through dialogue and formulate codes to regulate cyberspace behaviors that are acceptable to all sides.”
Key refused to comment on the report, saying only that the documents it was based upon had been stolen.
“I’m not going to talk about any foreign intelligence that we gather from any country for any particular reason, all I can tell you is that we gather information when it’s in the best interests of New Zealand,” he said in an interview broadcast on New Zealand television channel TV3.
He refused to speculate on whether the issue could damage relations with China, New Zealand’s largest trading partner.
“You’re asking a hypothetical question and I’m not going to do that because I can’t give you an answer I don’t know,” he added. “What I can tell you is we’ve got an immensely strong relationship with China, it’s very open and we talk to them about all sorts of things. If they want to raise any issue with us they’re welcome to, but I’d be surprised if they do.”
New Zealand is part of the “Five Eyes” intelligence network, which also includes the US, Britain, Australia and Canada.
Snowden documents released last month alleged Wellington was conducting mass surveillance on its South Pacific neighbors and passing the information onto its Five Eyes partners.
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