PRAGUE – The Czech government has formally accused China of conducting a cyberespionage campaign targeting a communications system used by the foreign ministry, and has summoned Beijing’s ambassador in response.
“China is interfering in our society – through manipulation, propaganda, and cyberattacks,” Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský wrote on X on Wednesday.
“I summoned the Chinese ambassador to make clear that such hostile actions have serious consequences for our bilateral relations,” he added.
According to the ministry, the cyber campaign has been active since 2022 and is linked to the APT31 cyberespionage group, which is believed to operate under China’s Ministry of State Security. Although the targeted network did not contain classified information, it is considered part of the country’s critical infrastructure.
The attack was attributed with high confidence by the Czech Security Information Service, Military Intelligence, the Office for Foreign Relations and Information, and the National Cyber and Information Security Agency. Authorities reportedly detected the intrusion in progress, as the perpetrators were downloading email communications from the ministry.
Sources close to the matter told Seznam Zprávy that one working theory within the Czech security community is that the hackers may have been seeking personal data of specific ministry employees – possibly for blackmail or future targeted operations.
According to the outlet, Czech diplomats believe that such a clear revelation would not sit well with China. Unlike Russia, China tends to conceal its influence operations in the West, as exposure could hinder its technology exports, for example.
Following the public disclosure of the incident, both NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas expressed support for Czechia.
(de, aw)
