New Zealand accuses China of hacking parliament

A statement from New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters regarding a state-sponsored cyber hack on New Zealand’s parliament in 2021:

“Foreign interference of this nature is unacceptable, and we have urged China to refrain from such activity in future,”

The hack was uncovered by NZ intelligent services:

• NZ’s communications security bureau (GCSB) overseas cyber security and signals intelligence
• established links between a Chinese state-sponsored actor known as Advanced Persistent Threat 40 (APT40) and malicious cyber activity targeting New Zealand’s parliamentary services and parliamentary counsel office in 2021

Info via Reuters. More here.

This, of course, is not a positive for NZ/China relations. Let’s see how China responds. History tells us it’ll be with denial and belligerence. We’ll see.

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Only a week ago relations appeared to be warming further:

• China’s Foreign Min says ready to work with New Zealand on upgraded Free Trade Agreement

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.