“Democratic Taiwan is our ally, not authoritarian Beijing,” Czech Minister for Science and Research Marek Zenisek said on Wednesday, responding to reports of cyberattacks allegedly carried out by China against the Czech government.
The Czech Republic last week said that China was responsible for a “malicious cybercampaign” that targeted a network used by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs for unclassified e-mails.
The attacks reportedly began during the country’s presidency of the Council of the EU in 2022 and were perpetrated by the cyberespionage group APT31, which was publicly associated with the Chinese Ministry of State Security, the Czech government said in a statement.
Photo: Reuters
Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavsky on the same day summoned the Chinese ambassador, saying that such hostile actions would damage the countries’ bilateral relations.
Zenisek wrote on Facebook and X that “China has once again proven that it considers us an enemy country. And it has always been so, even under [former Czech president] Milos Zeman, who was simply naive and led astray in foreign policy.”
“Our real ally is democratic Taiwan, not the authoritarian regime in Beijing, which we must defend ourselves against,” Zenisek wrote.
The EU and NATO members on the same day condemned China’s action and expressed solidarity with the Czech Republic through social media and statements.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said: “NATO Allies stand in solidarity with the Czech Republic today, following a malicious cybercampaign attributed to the People’s Republic of China.”
“NATO observes with concern the growing pattern of malicious cyber activities stemming from China,” he added.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said that the EU “holds a Chinese state-backed actor responsible for a malicious cybercampaign targeting Czechia,” adding that it was “a clear and unacceptable violation of international norms.”
Additional Reporting by Reuters
“The European Union reaffirms its strong commitment to prevent, deter and respond to malicious behavior in cyberspace and stands ready to take further action when necessary,” the EU said in a statement.
The US embassy in Prague said the country denounces China’s actions and calls on it to immediately cease all such activities.
APT31 previously targeted the US and foreign politicians, foreign policy experts and others, it added.
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