The Norwegian government in its latest annual report on security challenges has warned of a security threat in the form of Chinese intelligence networks in Europe.
"Their activities include political intelligence and industrial espionage, and cyberspace is the main gateway," warned the document, released Monday by the Scandinavian country's intelligence agency.
The report follows one last week from fellow NATO ally the Netherlands that said Chinese state-backed hackers infiltrated a Dutch military computer network last year by planting malware. Last month, the FBI said it had disrupted a botnet set up by Beijing-sanctioned hackers to mask alleged plans to target "critical infrastructure."
The intelligence chiefs of the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand warned that Beijing was carrying out intellectual property theft on an unprecedented scale.
"Chinese intelligence services operate all over Europe" and they conceal their activities through a range of "commonly available tools and digital infrastructure," the Norwegian document said.
They do not carry out their tasks alone, but are assisted by civilian actors such as "diplomats, travel delegations, private individuals, businesses and special-interest groups."
These intelligence services also rely on their close relationships with Chinese corporate entities, the report said, pointing out that all Chinese nationals and businesses are legally required to aid their government in intelligence gathering when called upon.
The NATO ally's report said the West now faces a "more dangerous security situation" than last year, citing challenges to current world order in the form of China, Russia and Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas.
The governments of these countries share a "revisionist agenda to undermine the West's influence and establish an international order in which liberal values such as democracy and freedom of speech do not set the course," the document said.
Beyond intelligence, the report raised concerns over and its allies and its own dependence on value chains disproportionately controlled by only a few actors, such as China's hold over mineral refinement technologies.
Due to the international sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine, the Norwegian intelligence agency identified China as the main player, with both "the ability and the will" to leverage these dependencies to "exert political pressure."
As the Russo-Ukrainian war drags on into its second year, China is giving Moscow's war machine a significant boost—not from ready-to-use weaponry such as North Korea and Iran are accused of contributing, but with vehicles and other machines, parts, and electronics, the agency said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
