According to the representatives of the governments of Western countries, China has brought espionage to an unprecedented level with the involvement of special services, private companies and civilians.
Points of attention
- China has greatly expanded its espionage activities, involving special services, private companies, and civilians, reaching an unprecedented level of spying worldwide.
- Chinese spies have targeted sensitive infrastructure and data in Western countries, including hacking devices in France, the US, the UK, monitoring cargo cranes at US seaports, and accessing voter registration data in Great Britain.
- China's espionage approach differs from Russia's, as it does not adhere to traditional espionage rules, leading to more aggressive and exposed spying activities.
- China's stolen data from espionage operations is used to develop AI technology and enhance military power, posing a significant threat to global security and raising concerns among intelligence communities.
- Concerns about China's covert actions have escalated due to its support for Russia, interference in Taiwan's affairs, and potential implications for international relations, emphasizing the urgent need to address China's aggressive espionage tactics.
What is known about the unprecedented scale of the PRC's espionage activities
It is noted that representatives of Western intelligence agencies have been warning about the threat from China almost every week for quite a long time.
Only in September, according to the FBI, hacker groups controlled by the Chinese government hacked 260,000 devices, including cameras and routers in France, Romania, the United States, and Great Britain.
Chinese cargo cranes used in US seaports had built-in technology that could allow Beijing to control them, according to a congressional investigation.
It is also added that the former senior aide to the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, is suspected of spying for China.
In September, in the United States, five Chinese graduates of the University of Michigan were discovered in the middle of the night, taking pictures a few steps away from military vehicles during a US National Guard exercise involving Taiwanese servicemen.
What is known about China's espionage activities in other countries
The UK government has said hackers linked to China gained access to national voter registration records, which include the home addresses of around 40 million people.
The U.S. government is currently investigating whether a hacking group linked to the Chinese state infiltrated major U.S. broadband providers, which could have given it access to eavesdrop on U.S. law enforcement.
Intelligence officials are concerned that China is stealing reams of personal data to train advanced AI models.
As China becomes more assertive militarily, including increasing support for Russia in its war in Ukraine, its covert actions also pose a greater threat.
The FBI said this year that China had hijacked hundreds of routers and used them to infiltrate US water and power networks, raising concerns about a possible pre-emptive attack on US infrastructure if Washington intervenes in China's bid to seize Taiwan.
China doesn't play by the old espionage rules, intelligence officials say. He doesn't seem to care if he's exposed, and unlike Russia, he rarely tries to exchange his spies when they're arrested.
