1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Germany summons Chinese envoy over 2021 cyberattack

July 31, 2024

Germany's Foreign Ministry stressed the dangers posed by Chinese espionage in a press briefing. It is the first time China's ambassador to Berlin has been summoned since 1989.

https://p.dw.com/p/4ixBe
An illuminated keyboard
The attack targeted the German agency that analyzes satellite and mapping dataImage: Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/picture alliance

Germany's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Chinese ambassador to Berlin, a spokesman told a press briefing on Wednesday. The reason given was a 2021 cyberattack on the German government's mapping agency by "Chinese state actors."

"We resolutely oppose such cyber activities directed against Germany and.. advocate responsible and rules-based behavior in cyberspace," spokesman Sebastian Fischer said, adding that "the danger posed by Chinese espionage and Chinese cyberattacks" should not be underestimated.

The target was the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) in Frankfurt, which analyzes detailed satellite images, among other things.

Governments around the world accuse China of cyberattacks

Several governments in recent years have accused China of launching cyberattacks on government and private company data, including the United States, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and India. 

In 2017, the US news magazine Foreign Policy cited experts who believe China to have a "hacker army" of tens of thousands of people.

This is the first time the Chinese envoy in Berlin has been summoned since 1989, when the Chinese government reacted with violence to student-led protests in Tiananmen Square.

German far-right party worker arrested on spying charges

es/ab (dpa, Reuters)