German Officials Blame Chinese State Actors for 2021 Cyberattack

Germany has accused Chinese state actors of a 2021 cyberattack on its national cartography office. The Chinese ambassador was summoned for a protest, marking the first such diplomatic move since 1989. German officials claim they have evidence from intelligence services and demand Beijing cease these activities.

An investigation has determined that “Chinese state actors” were responsible for a 2021 cyberattack on Germany's national office for cartography, officials in Berlin said on Wednesday.

The Chinese ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry for a protest for the first time in decades.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer said the German government has “reliable information from our intelligence services” on the source of the attack on the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy.

He said it “condemns in the strongest terms” the cyberattack and calls on Beijing to refrain from and prevent such activities. He declined to elaborate on who exactly in China was responsible.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Maximilian Kall said it had been possible to stop the attack and comprehensive measures have been taken to prevent a repeat.

Fischer said a Chinese ambassador was last summoned to the German Foreign Ministry in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square crackdown.