London, March 25 (EFE).- The British Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden, this Monday indicated in Parliament that hackers linked to the Chinese State were responsible for two “malicious cyber campaigns” aimed at the Election Commission and British parliamentarians.

“I can confirm that agents linked to the Chinese state are responsible for two cyber campaigns targeting our democratic institutions and parliamentarians,” Dowden said in a statement before the House of Commons (Lower).

He noted that his country’s allies, such as the United States, plan to issue similar statements to “expose this activity and hold China accountable for its ongoing pattern of hostile activity targeting our democracies.”

The attack occurred, he said, last summer, against the Election Commission, which was “the victim of a complex cyberattack” in August 2021, in which agents affiliated with the Chinese state gained access to the commission’s emails and file systems.

The attack “does not affect election security” and “will not affect the way citizens vote or participate in the democratic process,” the politician said.

“Additionally, the national Cyber ​​Security Center assessed that a Chinese state-affiliated agent known as APT31 almost certainly attempted to carry out surveillance activities against the accounts of British MPs during a separate campaign in 2021,” Dowden also noted.

The deputy prime minister assured that the country will summon the Chinese ambassador to take responsibility for the action.

According to Dowden, condemning this behavior was part of Britain’s defense, stating that “this is the latest pattern of hostile activity emanating from China, such as targeting democratic institutions and parliamentarians in the UK and beyond.”

“We have seen this in China’s continued disregard for universal human rights and international commitments in Xinjiang, its eradication of voices of dissent and repression of opposition under the new national security law in Hong Kong, and reports that disturbing regarding China’s intimidation and aggressive behavior in Xinjiang. South China Sea,” he said.

Downden stressed that over all this, the Government in London “has investigated and condemned the so-called overseas offices of the Chinese police service and has instructed the Chinese Embassy to close them.”

The politician also touched on China’s “accumulated attempts to interfere in democracy” in the country, which “have not been successful.”

He also reiterated that British policy towards China is based on “national interests” and, therefore, the country “will not hesitate to take firm and swift action if the Chinese Government threatens British interests.”

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron considered it “completely unacceptable that organizations affiliated with Chinese states and individuals have targeted our democratic institutions and political processes.”

The Foreign Ministry chief noted that he raised the issue directly with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, and recalled that two individuals and one entity “involved with China-affiliated groups” had been sanctioned. EFE

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