Chinese embassy defends company
The Chinese embassy in Wellington has pushed back on reports about a state-linked firm collating data on prominent New Zealanders and their families, defending the company at the centre of the allegations.
It says China ‘‘opposes and fights all cyber crimes’’ and backs the statement from the firm that its clients are research institutions and business groups, not the state or the military.
The news comes as Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters described the situation as ‘‘disquieting in the extreme’’ and says it would be ‘‘naive’’ to believe the Chinese state was not involved.
Zhenhua Data, a Chinese firm linked to the state, has been collecting and collating mostly publicly available data on a wide variety of individuals across the world, a cyber security researcher revealed this week.
The more than 730 Kiwis profiled in the ‘‘Overseas Key Individuals Database’’ include Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s mother, Laurell, father Ross and sister Louise; Cabinet ministers; former prime minister Sir John Key’s son, Max; and sportswoman Barbara Kendall.
Senior public servants and diplomats, the chief of defence, a former navy intelligence commander, and high-ranking judges are on the list obtained by Stuff.
There is no direct evidence this information has been sold to the Chinese Government but the firm’s promotional material suggests the Chinese military is its target customer. The firm itself has denied selling the database to the state.
A Chinese embassy spokesperson referred Stuff to the statement from the firm, which said the original reports around the firm were ‘‘seriously untrue’’.
‘‘The company said clearly that it is a private company, and its clients are research institutions and business groups. Instead of collecting data, it only integrates data which is open and available online,’’ the spokesperson said. ‘‘We would like to stress that as a staunch defender of cyber security, China opposes and fights all cyber crimes. We would like to enhance dialogue and co-operation with other countries to jointly build a peaceful, secure, open and co-operative cyber space.’’
The spokesperson said China was proposing more global cooperation on cyber security, working to stop any country’s ‘‘technological edge’’ being used over another.
The Security Intelligence Service is reviewing the data.