#Newspaper
Chinese spies in Malta’s embassy? News to me, says EU’s Borrell
//On Friday, a report in the French daily Le Monde said that Belgian intelligence sources believe Malta’s embassy in Brussels could have been bugged by Chinese spies. The Maltese government said that isn't true.
//According to the French newspaper, "since the early 2010s" Belgian state security suspected that Chinese secret services used the embassy — located directly opposite from the European Commission's Berlaymont headquarters — to spy on the European institutions.
//The spying "could, according to Belgian intelligence, still last today," said the report.
//According to Le Monde, the alarm was sounded by British intelligence who said they believed Chinese secret services were involved in renovation work on the building ahead of its opening in 2007.
//Borrell's relaxed reaction — suggesting the EU would wait to hear from Belgium rather than undertake its own urgent inquiry — could prove risky given recent criticism of the EU's diplomatic arm for being too soft on China and overly accommodating of Beijing's wishes.
//However, it remains unclear whether the EU will open an independent investigation. The European External Action Service didn't reply to a question about what, if any, action has been taken. And diplomats stressed that is crucial to understand who was in charge of the critical ICT infrastructure in the embassy, a task that is usually carried out by national agencies or by certified contractors.
//The article "makes various incorrect allegations that such equipment is being used for illicit purposes," Valletta said, adding that "the Permanent Representation has been the subject of internal and external audits and found the building to be in the clear" and that "80% of the mentioned furniture has over the past 2 years been disposed of and replaced by new furniture procured from Malta."
Full article: Politico, (15 May)
https://www.politico.eu/article/chinese-spies-in-maltas-embassy-news-to-me-says-eus-borrell/
Further reading:
FBI arrests Arkansas professor on fraud charges over financial ties to China
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/20992
#Malta #ChineseInfiltration #Spy
Chinese spies in Malta’s embassy? News to me, says EU’s Borrell
//On Friday, a report in the French daily Le Monde said that Belgian intelligence sources believe Malta’s embassy in Brussels could have been bugged by Chinese spies. The Maltese government said that isn't true.
//According to the French newspaper, "since the early 2010s" Belgian state security suspected that Chinese secret services used the embassy — located directly opposite from the European Commission's Berlaymont headquarters — to spy on the European institutions.
//The spying "could, according to Belgian intelligence, still last today," said the report.
//According to Le Monde, the alarm was sounded by British intelligence who said they believed Chinese secret services were involved in renovation work on the building ahead of its opening in 2007.
//Borrell's relaxed reaction — suggesting the EU would wait to hear from Belgium rather than undertake its own urgent inquiry — could prove risky given recent criticism of the EU's diplomatic arm for being too soft on China and overly accommodating of Beijing's wishes.
//However, it remains unclear whether the EU will open an independent investigation. The European External Action Service didn't reply to a question about what, if any, action has been taken. And diplomats stressed that is crucial to understand who was in charge of the critical ICT infrastructure in the embassy, a task that is usually carried out by national agencies or by certified contractors.
//The article "makes various incorrect allegations that such equipment is being used for illicit purposes," Valletta said, adding that "the Permanent Representation has been the subject of internal and external audits and found the building to be in the clear" and that "80% of the mentioned furniture has over the past 2 years been disposed of and replaced by new furniture procured from Malta."
Full article: Politico, (15 May)
https://www.politico.eu/article/chinese-spies-in-maltas-embassy-news-to-me-says-eus-borrell/
Further reading:
FBI arrests Arkansas professor on fraud charges over financial ties to China
https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/20992
#Malta #ChineseInfiltration #Spy
Le Monde.fr
Espionnage : les ombres chinoises de l’ambassade de Malte à Bruxelles
Les services secrets belges s’inquiètent depuis de nombreuses années de la situation de l’ambassade, dont la rénovation a été payée par la Chine, en face du siège de la Commission européenne.