The New Zealand government said, it has raised concerns with the Chinese government about its involvement in a state-sponsored cyber hack on New Zealand’s parliament in 2021, which was uncovered by the country’s intelligence services.
The revelations that information was accessed through malicious cyber activity targeting New Zealand’s parliamentarian entities comes as Britain and the U.S. accuse China of a widesweeping cyber espionage campaign. Both New Zealand and Australia have condemned the broader activity.
Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said, foreign interference of this nature is unacceptable, and they have urged China to refrain from such activity in future. He said, concerns about cyber activity attributed to groups sponsored by the Chinese government, targeting democratic institutions in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom had been conveyed to the Chinese ambassador.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand said that they reject outright such groundless and irresponsible accusations and have expressed their dissatisfaction and resolute opposition with New Zealand authorities.