In Wellington, it was disclosed by the security minister on Tuesday that a governmental operation sponsored by China targeted the Parliament of New Zealand in the year 2021.

The assertion from New Zealand arises just a day following the announcement by authorities from the US and UK of a series of criminal charges and penalties against seven hackers, all presumed to be residing in China. These hackers had targeted US officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy activists, and the UK’s election oversight body. Minister Judith Collins, who is responsible for the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), remarked in a press release, “The utilization of cyber-enabled espionage endeavors to disrupt democratic institutions and processes anywhere is not acceptable.”

Collins also conveyed that the agency had established connections between a state-backed entity associated with China and malicious cyber actions directed at parliamentary entities within New Zealand. She stated, “The GCSB’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) conducted a thorough technical evaluation subsequent to a breach of the Parliamentary Counsel Office and the Parliamentary Service in 2021, attributing this activity to a PRC (China) state-sponsored faction recognized as APT40.”

She continued, “Fortunately, in this particular instance, the NCSC collaborated with the affected organizations to constrain the activity and expel the actor shortly after their network access was detected.” The breached networks contained vital data essential for the efficient functioning of the New Zealand government. Collins declared that New Zealand would not emulate the US and UK in imposing sanctions on China, as New Zealand lacks legislation enabling such penalties, nor are there any intentions to introduce such legislation.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters affirmed that New Zealand’s concerns had been communicated to Chinese Ambassador Wang Xiaolong. Peters stated in a media release on Tuesday, “Foreign intervention of this kind is intolerable, and we have urged China to desist from such conduct in the future.”

He added, “New Zealand will continue to voice its objections – consistently and predictably – when we observe troubling behaviors of this nature.” Peters recently met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and remarked that the two countries share a “significant and intricate relationship.” “We engage in collaboration with China in certain domains for mutual gain,” he remarked. “Simultaneously, we have also remained steadfast and explicit in our commitment to address matters of concern.”