UK Summons Chinese Officials Over Allegations Of Cyber Hacking

British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, (photo x @OliverDowden)

JAKARTA - On Tuesday, March 26, Britain summoned the Chinese Embassy chargé d'aflaires in London after accusing Chinese state-backed hackers of stealing data from the British electoral control agency and carrying out surveillance operations against lawmakers.

Britain said Chinese hackers stole voter registration data mostly in the form of name and address from the Elections Commission and tried to hack into parliamentarians' emails.

"The Foreign Office states that the government strongly condemns malicious cyber activities carried out by organizations and individuals affiliated with China's countries against democratic institutions and British lawmakers," a spokesman for the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Tuesday that the government was close to finalizing a new foreign influence registration system that would require anyone working without a declaration for a foreign country at an "increased level" to declare its activities.

Under the UK's new National Security Act, individuals, such as lawyers, community relations companies, or spies working for the country at an "increased level" must record their activities in a register or face prosecution.

British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said on Monday March 25 that China's alleged hacking of democratic British institutions meant there was "a strong reason" to include the country in its "increased level".

China has denied the espionage allegations. The Chinese embassy in London said on Monday that the claim was "truly falsified" and would provide "the correct and necessary response".

The British government has previously said that it is inappropriate to call China a "threat" because it is too simple to see the relationship with the world's second-largest economy through just one word.