The European Union is “ready to charge” China in response to a launched cyber attack on the Czech Republic, warned senior representative Kaja Karas.
“This attack is an unacceptable violation of international norms. The EU will not tolerate hostile cyber behavior. We are in solidarity with the Czech Republic,” the bloc’s diplomatic director said Wednesday afternoon.
Her comments came shortly after Prague revealed that it had identified the People’s Republic of China as “a) the head of a malicious cyber campaign targeting one of the Czech Ministry’s uncategorized networks.”
According to Provisionthe campaign began in 2022 and was run by Advanced Persistent Threat Group 31 (APT31), a group of intelligence agents and contract hackers are widely suspected of collecting intelligence reporting agencies on behalf of Beijing.
APT31 is associated with thousands of sophisticated and difficult attacks aimed at compromising government agencies, military organizations and private companies. The group is associated with China’s Ministry of National Security.
“This kind of action undermines the credibility of the People’s Republic of China and is inconsistent with its public declaration,” the Czech Foreign Ministry said.
The criticism was reflected in a statement Released on behalf of 27 member states by the Crow, she stressed that Brussels had “recurringly” raised concerns about a cyberattack with Beijing since at least 2021.
“We ask all states, including China, to refrain from such actions, respect international law and to adhere to UN norms and principles, including those relating to critical infrastructure,” Karas said.
“In this context, we repeat that states should not allow the use of territory for malicious cyber activities.”
Pay the price
At a subsequent press conference related to the Black Sea, the high representatives openly threatened to raise the ante and take away sanctions for retaliation.
“We are determined to counter the malicious actions of cyberspace,” she told reporters in Brussels. “These threats are very serious.”
“We also raise them at our counterparts in China,” she continued. “We are definitely ready to charge these types of attacks.”
Although crows did not specify which types of sanctions could be introduced, it should be noted that they are simply designed on a “case-by-case” basis, as BLOC has done in the past. Under EU regulations, the approval of sanctions requires unanimity among all member states. This is often difficult to meet due to the different views and strategies within the room.
The accusations come amidst the intense speculation about an Impact diplomatic reset It hit fierce allies and enemies alike between the EU and China, prompted by US President Donald Trump’s destructive policies.
Brussels recently softened its tone to highlight potential areas of cooperation with Beijing, but multiple friction points It remains unaddressedMost notably, the excess capacity of low-cost industrial products and “no-limit” partnerships Established Between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last month, Karasu described China as a “significant enabler” of the Russian war with Ukraine to supply about 80% of double-use goods banned by Western allies.
“Without China’s support, Russia would not be able to fight the war for the amount they are fighting for,” the senior representative said.
Cyber Warfare is another, along with foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). Long-term controversy In bilateral relations, we are wary of Beijing’s powerful attempts to shake up elections, spread publicity and influence public opinion.
in statement“Malicious cyber-activities targeting the Czech Republic highlight the constant contestation of cyberspace,” said Mark Latte, NATO executive director.
