Western intelligence agencies said this week that politicians, journalists and critics of Beijing were targeted in cyberattacks by Chinese-backed groups.
Separate cyberattacks hit the United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand, members of the Five Eyes alliance. The network of five countries, including Canada and Australia, shares security-related information.
While the Chinese government has rejected claims of involvement, and the US and UK have opted to take further action against entities they say are involved, New Zealand has taken a different stance.
How did the US and UK respond to hacking allegations?
The United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on individuals and entities accused of engaging in large-scale cyber espionage operations.
The U.S. government on Monday announced sanctions against the hackers suspected of operating the scheme. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Technology Co., which it describes as a front for China’s Ministry of National Security, “has served as a front for multiple malicious cyber operations.”
The UK has sanctioned two individuals and a front company linked to APT31, a cyber espionage group linked to China’s Ministry of State Security.
And how did New Zealand react?
New Zealand publicly condemned China’s involvement, but stopped short of imposing sanctions.
New Zealand’s defense minister, Judith Collins, said the country did not intend to follow the lead of Britain and the United States because New Zealand did not have extensive legislation that would allow it to impose its own sanctions. To do so, Congress would need to pass a bill.
Foreign Secretary Winston Peters said in a statement to the Guardian: “While this announcement is in itself an unusual step, we believe it is an appropriate response given the nature of the intrusion and its level of impact.
“Private diplomatic dialogue is an important and valuable step in outlining our concerns. However, it precludes New Zealand from taking further action, such as issuing a public statement, if it is in the national interest. It’s not a thing.”
Robert Patman, a professor of international relations at the University of Otago, agreed that publicly naming China was a rare and “surprising” move.
“Publicly naming superpower China as a foreign interference in New Zealand’s domestic political affairs is a very serious offense,” Mr Patman said.
Has New Zealand ever imposed sanctions?
Yes, Russia imposed sanctions on Russia in 2022 in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine. It is the first time New Zealand has imposed sanctions on a specific country, and allies in Europe and the United States have taken similar measures.
Previously, New Zealand could only impose sanctions if the UN Security Council imposed them. Thanks to Russia’s veto in the Security Council, then Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the government would be forced to introduce new legislation, the Russia Sanctions Act.
“The Russia Sanctions Act was a historic moment for Congress,” says Jason Young, director of the New Zealand Center for Contemporary China Studies. “This is a very unique situation and it is not normal for New Zealand to impose sanctions on countries on its own when there are challenges or problems in the relationship.”
Could New Zealand impose sanctions on China in the future?
New Zealand is unlikely to introduce legislation that would allow it to impose sanctions on China because of its complex relationship with China and the different severity of China’s actions compared to Russia.
China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner, with nearly 30% of New Zealand’s exports going to China. The small nation has become more vocal in recent years about human rights issues, the rules-based international order and concerns about the potential militarization of the Pacific, but has generally been more accommodating toward China than its Five Eyes partners. has a certain attitude.
“Governments in small, trade-dependent economies need to think very carefully about the proportionality of their response to issues in their relationships with their largest trading partners,” Young said, adding that New Zealand’s approach was He added that the first thing to do is to try a relationship with him. It is in your best interest to do so.
But he said New Zealand’s public calls on China, even if not seeking sanctions, showed it was taking the issue seriously.
“I think it would be unusual for us to then pass a bill through Congress that is aimed at sanctions.” [China].the only time [New Zealand] What we did was about the invasion of a country, so I’m not saying it’s not serious, but it’s a matter of proportion. ”
Unlike the United States, New Zealand does not see China as a systematic threat and has no illusions that it is an authoritarian or authoritarian country, but this makes New Zealand a weaker country than its Five Eyes partners. Patman said that may explain the more cautious approach. . “New Zealand’s approach to the Five Eyes is unity but not uniformity…and we have a very unique relationship with China.”
But Patman said China should be wary as New Zealand’s trade dependence begins to decline and the small country no longer wants to be trapped in a “master-slave” relationship with a superpower.
In recent months, New Zealand has been encouraged by China’s growing influence in the Pacific region to join the Oaks Nuclear-Free Pillar, a security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US, to which China has expressed a “serious stance”. There is a growing interest in Concerns”.
Repeated or escalating cyber intrusions from China could push New Zealand into the oaks and force it to consider sanctions, Patman said.
“Otherwise, many people in this country will begin to argue that New Zealand is not serious about defending our sovereignty and liberal democracy under attack from authoritarianism,” Mr Patman said. .
