“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.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
RSS