New Zealand did not follow the US and UK in imposing financial restrictions after accusing Beijing of links to cyber-attacks
Politicians, journalists and critics of Beijing were among those targeted by cyber-attacks run by groups backed by China, western intelligence services said this week.
The separate cyber-attacks hit the US, UK and New Zealand – all members of the Five Eyes alliance. The network of five countries, which also includes Canada and Australia, share security related intelligence.
While Beijing rejected claims of its involvement, the US and UK chose to take further steps against those entities they said were involved, but New Zealand took a different tack.How did the US and UK respond to the alleged hacking?
The US and UK have imposed sanctions on individuals and groups that they say were involved in the extensive cyber espionage campaign.
The US government announced sanctions on Monday against hackers that it alleges were responsible for operating the scheme. The US treasury’s office of foreign assets control stated that it sanctioned Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company Ltd, which it calls a front for the Chinese ministry of state security that has “served as cover for multiple malicious cyberoperations”.
The UK sanctioned two individuals and a front company linked to the cyber-espionage group APT31, which is associated with the Chinese ministry of state security.And how did New Zealand respond?
New Zealand called out China’s involvement publicly, but it stopped short of imposing sanctions.
New Zealand’s defence minister, Judith Collins, said the country would not follow in the footsteps of the UK and US, because it does not have broader law allowing for autonomous sanctions. Parliament would have to pass legislation to do so.
The foreign affairs minister, Winston Peters, said in a statement to the Guardian: “We consider that this public attribution, which is a rare step in itself, is an appropriate response given the nature of the intrusion and its level of impact.
