New Delhi: An investigation by a media house has brought forth Chinese espionage activities in Africa, after it was revealed that China was spying on them with the headquarters they “gifted” to the African Union in 2012.
An investigation by Le Monde Afrique has revealed that for five years, between midnight and 2am, computer services were reaching a peak in data transfer activity. The organization’s technical staff later discovered that the AU servers were all connected to servers located in Shanghai.
The glass tower was gifted to the AU in 2012 and the computer systems were fully equipped by the Chinese, which, according to the investigation, allowed them to open an undocumented portal so that Chinese administrators could access the AU’s computers. An unidentified AU official told Le Monde that with the discovery they had “taken steps to strengthen their cybersecurity.”
Soon after the report was published, Chinese Ambassador to the AU, Kuang Weili, reportedly said the story was “sensational” and “absurd.” He also raised doubts on the release time of the report as it came a day before the African leaders kick off their annual summit at the headquarters. China is said to have offered to configure them, which the AU declined. He also reportedly said that the story would not tarnish the relationship between China and Africa.
The investigation quoted other AU officials as saying that the Chinese were not alone, and according to documents gathered by Le Monde Afrique and The Intercept, the US and the UK have had their part in spying on the AU.
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