EU says sanctions against Beijing are possible after Britain alleges Chinese group is responsible for cyberattacks

European Union member states are considering a joint response to cyberattacks allegedly conducted by a Chinese state-linked hacker group after Britain presented evidence last month about network infiltration, sources said.

British analysts briefed EU counterparts at a meeting on January 28, offering evidence of both software and hardware attacks by the group known as Advanced Persistent Threat 10, or APT 10, the sources said. They would not give details of the alleged hardware attack, claiming the information was classified.

Officials at the meeting discussed potential responses, such as sanctions or a joint warning. The issue might be discussed at a scheduled EU-China Summit in April, an official said.

The focus on APT 10 is part of a broader clampdown by Europe and the United States on alleged espionage and intellectual property theft by China. The hacker group was at the centre of charges in December by the US Department of Justice, which accused Chinese officials of orchestrating a decade-long espionage campaign that involved infiltrating companies in the US and more than a dozen other countries, drawing a denial from China.

Britain’s evidence was related to those charges, a source said.

“Some countries’ accusations against China on the cybersecurity issue are unfounded and groundless, driven by ulterior motives,” the Chinese mission to the EU said in response to the allegations. “We urge the relevant parties to stop defaming China, so as not to undermine their bilateral relations and cooperation with China.”