China Denies US Allegation Of Malicious Cyber Activity In The Pacific

RNZ
Pacific reporters

China has rejected an allegation
by the United States that it is backing malicious cyber
activity that targets the Pacific Islands.

The
allegation came in a series of statements from the US
Embassy in Suva, which claimed that “in the Pacific Islands
region,the United States continues
toobservestate-sponsored cyber threat actors linked to
Chinatargetingforeign governments, multilateral
organisations, and telecommunications networks”.

The
US Embassy said that Chinaremainsan active and
persistent cyber threat, and in a later post on X (formerly
Twitter) said it recently informed Fiji’s government and a
regional organisation based in Suva that the US had
identified a suspected compromise of this organisation’s
network between July and August 2026.

“Hackers with
links to China maintained access to the organisation’s
network over several days,” the embassy said.

It
claimed that data stolen throughthis
activityprovidesChina’s intelligence servicesand
malign actorsaccess tosensitive
informationthatcompromisescommunicationsbetween
Pacific Island countries and territories.

In response,
a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand told
RNZ Pacific that the claim was similar “disinformation” to
what they had seen many previous times.

The
spokesperson described the claim as politically motivated
and aimed at sowing discord between China and countries in
the region.

“China firmly opposes and combats hacking
activities in accordance with [the] law. China also firmly
opposes spreading disinformation for political
agenda.

“It is no secret which country is the world’s
largest ‘hacking empire’ and ‘eavesdropping empire’, with a
blemished record and solid evidence to prove it.”

The
spokesperson said cybersecurity is an issue of common
concern for China and the US.

“We urge the US side to
quit double standards and political manipulation, jointly
tackle cybersecurity risks through equal-footed dialogue and
consultation, and build a relationship characterized by
peace, stability and mutual respect on cyber
issues.”

Meanwhile, Fiji’s government said it was
monitoring developments related to the reported
cyberattack.

Ioane Naivalarua, the country’s Minister
for Policing and Communications, has urged the government,
non-governmental organisations and the private sector to
“harden the security” of their digital
platforms.

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