US accuses Chinese hackers of targeting Cambodia, stealing Mekong River data

The accusations, which China has said were fabricated and politically motivated, were outlined in a 30-page US court indictment

It claims Chinese hackers obtained data from Cambodia’s foreign ministry during the China-backed Lancang-Mekong Cooperation summit in 2018

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Cambodian fishermen pictured on the Mekong river in January 2018, when the hack is said to have happened. Photo: AFP

Reutersin Phnom Penh/Hanoi

Published: 3:34pm, 22 Jul 2021Updated: 10:04pm, 22 Jul 2021

Buried in a long US indictment accusing China of a global cyberespionage campaign was a curious detail: among the governments targeted by Chinese hackers was Cambodia, one of Beijing’s most loyal Asian allies.

The target of the hack, which two sources with knowledge of the indictment said was Cambodia’s foreign ministry, was also revealing: discussions between China and Cambodia over the use of the Mekong River, a new battleground for US and Chinese influence in Southeast Asia.

Four Chinese nationals – three security officials and a contract hacker – have been charged for attacks aimed at dozens of companies, universities and government agencies in the United States and abroad, the US Justice Department said on Monday.

Reaction from the defendants named in the indictment was not immediately available.

The accusations, which China has said were fabricated and politically motivated, were outlined in a 30-page US court indictment about the activities of what it said was a front company run by Chinese state security in Hainan, a Chinese island province near Southeast Asia.

Hainan island, where a US court indictment says a front company run by Chinese state security operated. Photo: Xinhua

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