2018 China–African Union espionage allegations

Last updated

In January 2017, French newspaper Le Monde Afrique published a story alleging that the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa was being spied on by the Chinese government. [1] The surveillance was believed to have begun in 2012, when the headquarters of the African Union was opened, and was conducted via bugging equipment and digital backdoors installed in the building's electronics during construction. [2] [3]

Contents

Upon discovery, both the equipment manufacturer Huawei and the Chinese government denied the allegations. [4] The African Union also publicly denied that such an incident had occurred, although one African Union official later stated that there were "many issues with the building that are still being resolved with the Chinese. It's not just cyber security." [5] [6] [7]

Background

The AU Conference Centre and Office Complex, pictured in 2015 African Union Conference Centre building.jpg
The AU Conference Centre and Office Complex, pictured in 2015

On November 5, 2006, during the 2006 Forum on China–Africa Cooperation in Beijing, the Chinese government announced the funding of a new building to house the headquarters of the African Union, the African Union Conference Center and Office Complex. [8] The entire project, estimated to have cost US$200 million, was entirely funded by China. Construction began in 2009, and was carried out by both Chinese and African workers. The complex was completed and opened in 2012. [2]

China's funding of the African Union headquarters was part of a larger project to invest in African development, which also included the establishment of a China-Africa Development Fund, US$3 billion in loans for debt relief and development, and US$2 billion in export buyer's credit. [9] [10]

Allegations

According to Le Monde Afrique, in January 2017, the African Union's IT department noticed that their server traffic was unusually full between midnight and 2 a.m. local time, when few people were working. [1] Upon further investigation, the department discovered that data was being collected and transferred to servers in Shanghai, and that this had been occurring since 2012. Microphones and listening devices were also subsequently found to have been planted throughout the building. [3]

The African Union replaced its server and communications technology – previously supplied by Chinese conglomerate Huawei  – with its own, allegedly refusing a Chinese government offer to configure the new equipment. [11] [12] The AU stopped using Ethio telecom, and the encryption of communications was strengthened. [1] [12] The new security system was tested during the July 2017 AU summit, with Algerian and Ethiopian cybersecurity experts inspecting the building. [1]

Le Monde Afrique article and reactions

Le Monde article

On January 28, 2018, Le Monde Afrique published an article publicly revealing the incident. The allegations levied by AU officials in the article received coverage from multiple other news organizations, and led to an official statement by China's foreign affairs ministry. Spokespeople for the African Union declined to comment. [5]

Reactions

After publication, African Union and Chinese officials denied the allegations, including the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki. [4] [13] In February 2018, Faki described the allegations as "all lies" and stated that "no maneuvers could distract and divert us from our mission" of strengthening ties between the AU and China. [14] : 323  Rwandan President and then-chairman of the AU, Paul Kagame, stated that he was not worried by the discovery, but expressed regret for the African Union not self-funding its headquarters, and instead relying on the Chinese government. [15] An unnamed African Union official told the Financial Times that there were "many issues with the building that are still being resolved with the Chinese", and one African diplomat attending an AU conference was later quoted in the publication as stating that there "would be a lot of anger over [the situation]". [5]

The Chinese ambassador to the African Union, Kuang Weilin, called the allegations "absurd" and "preposterous" and claimed they were intended to put pressure on Sino-African relations. [16] [17] China's ministry of foreign affairs also issued a statement, labelling the allegations "baseless" and "complete nonsense". [18]

In June 2019, the African Union Commission and Huawei signed a memorandum of understanding to further increase IT cooperation in areas include broadband, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, 5G, AI, and the training of African IT personnel. [14] : 323  Huawei's vice president for North Africa, Philippe Wang, stated that the agreement demonstrated AU's continuing trust in Huawei. [14] : 323  Wang stated that the agreement should end rumors of data leakage and that "AU has totally audited their IT system for the whole organization and nothing corroborates what was said in media reports one year ago." [14] : 323–324 

In 2020, Japan's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) reported that a suspected Chinese hacking organization dubbed "Bronze President" had hacked and extracted footage from the AU Headquarters' security cameras. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addis Ababa</span> Capital and largest city of Ethiopia

Addis Ababa is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. In the 2007 census, the city's population was estimated to be 2,739,551 inhabitants. Addis Ababa is a highly developed and important cultural, artistic, financial and administrative centre of Ethiopia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huawei</span> Chinese multinational technology company

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. is a Chinese multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in Bantian, Longgang District, Shenzhen, Guangdong. It designs, develops, manufactures and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics, smart devices and various rooftop solar products. The corporation was founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei, a former officer in the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian Airlines</span> Flag carrier of Ethiopia

Ethiopian Airlines, formerly Ethiopian Air Lines (EAL), is the flag carrier of Ethiopia, and is wholly owned by the country's government. EAL was founded on 21 December 1945 and commenced operations on 8 April 1946, expanding to international flights in 1951. The firm became a share company in 1965 and changed its name from Ethiopian Air Lines to Ethiopian Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addis Ababa Bole International Airport</span> International airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa Bole International Airport is an international airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is in the Bole district, 6 km (3.7 mi) southeast of the city centre and 65 km (40 mi) north of Bishoftu. The airport was formerly known as Haile Selassie I International Airport. It is the main hub of Ethiopian Airlines, the national airline that serves destinations in Ethiopia and throughout the African continent, as well as connections to Asia, Europe, North America and South America. The airport is also the base of the Ethiopian Aviation Academy. As of June 2018, nearly 380 flights per day were using the airport.

The Government of China is engaged in espionage overseas, directed through diverse methods via the Ministry of State Security (MSS), the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), the United Front Work Department (UFWD), People's Liberation Army (PLA) via its Intelligence Bureau of the Joint Staff Department, and numerous front organizations and state-owned enterprises. It employs a variety of tactics including cyber espionage to gain access to sensitive information remotely, signals intelligence, human intelligence as well as influence operations through united front activity targeting overseas Chinese communities and associations. The Chinese government is also engaged in industrial espionage aimed at gathering information and technology to bolster its economy, as well as transnational repression of dissidents abroad such as supporters of the Tibetan independence movement and Uyghurs as well as the Taiwan independence movement, the Hong Kong independence movement, Falun Gong, pro-democracy activists, and other critics of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The United States alleges that the degree of intelligence activity is unprecedented in its assertiveness and engagement in multiple host countries, particularly the United States, to which various US officials contend economic damages, prosperity and stolen innovations have resulted in $US320-445 billion annually since its inception and activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Union</span> Continental union of African states

The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The bloc was founded on 26 May 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. The intention of the AU was to replace the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002. The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethio-Djibouti Railways</span> Metre gauge railway in the Horn of Africa

The Ethio-Djibouti Railway is a metre gauge railway in the Horn of Africa that once connected Addis Ababa to the port city of Djibouti. The operating company was also known as the Ethio-Djibouti Railways. The railway was built in 1894–1917 to connect the Ethiopian capital city to French Somaliland. During early operations, it provided landlocked Ethiopia with its only access to the sea. After World War II, the railway progressively fell into a state of disrepair due to competition from road transport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sino-African relations</span> Bilateral relations

Sino–African relations, also referred to as Africa–China relations or Afro–Chinese relations, are the historical, political, economic, military, social, and cultural connections between China and the African continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Ethiopia relations</span> Bilateral relations

People's Republic of China–Ethiopia relations were established in 1970. Ethiopia has an embassy in Beijing and the People's Republic of China has an embassy in Addis Ababa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chairperson of the African Union</span> AUs ceremonial head

The Chairperson of the African Union is the ceremonial head of the African Union (AU) elected by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government for a one-year term. It rotates among the continent's five regions.

Michael Tsegaye is an Ethiopian artist and photographer. Much of his work presents a glimpse of life in contemporary Ethiopia, although an extended catalogue of his images come from his travels abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Union Conference Center and Office Complex</span> Building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The African Union Conference Center and Office Complex (AUCC) is a building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is the headquarters of the African Union and plays host to the biannual AU summits. It also serves as a conference center for African and diaspora businesses. The main building is 99.9 m (328 ft) tall and it is the second tallest building in Addis Ababa. Its cost was US$200 million, and it was mainly funded by the Chinese government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debretsion Gebremichael</span> Former President of the Tigray Region

Debretsion Gebremichael is an Ethiopian politician serving as the chairman of Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). He was previously the president of the Tigray Region. His position as titular head of the Tigray Region was disputed by the federal government of Ethiopia who in November 2020 appointed Mulu Nega as the chief executive of the Transitional Government of Tigray, succeeded by Abraham Belay. From July 2021 to March 2023, Debretsion again led the Tigray Region, while Abraham Belay left the transitional government to become Ethiopia's minister of Defence.

Alem Bekagn, or 'Kerchele Prison', was a central prison in Ethiopia until 2004. Located in Addis Ababa, the prison possibly existed as early as 1923, under the reign of Empress Zewditu, but became notorious after Second Italo-Ethiopian War as the site where Ethiopian intellectuals were detained and killed by Italian Fascists in the Yekatit 12 massacre. After the restoration of Emperor Haile Selassie, the prison remained in use to house Eritrean nationalists and those involved in the Woyane rebellion. Under the Communist Derg regime that followed, the prison was the site of another mass killing, the Massacre of the Sixty, and of the torture and execution of rival groups in the Red Terror. The prison remained a site of human rights abuses until the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front entered Addis Ababa on 28 May 1991, after which it became a normal prison. The prison was closed in 2004 and demolished in 2007 to allow the construction of the headquarters of the African Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Headquarters</span> Tallest skyscraper in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Headquarters is a skyscraper in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia that was completed on 13 February 2022 and became the tallest building in Ethiopia. It serves as the headquarters of the state-owned Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, the country's largest bank. It also is the tallest building in all of East Africa.

The Chinese multinational information technology and consumer electronics company Huawei has faced numerous criticisms for various aspects of its operations, particularly in regards to cybersecurity, intellectual property, and human rights violations.

Concerns over Chinese involvement in 5G wireless networks stem from allegations that cellular network equipment sourced from Chinese vendors may contain backdoors enabling surveillance by the Chinese government and Chinese laws, such as the Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China, which compel companies and individuals to assist the state intelligence agency on the collection of information whenever requested. The allegations came against the backdrop of the rising prominence of Chinese telecommunication vendors Huawei and ZTE in the 5G equipment market, and the controversy has led to other countries debating whether Chinese vendors should be allowed to participate in 5G deployments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention</span> Public health agency of the African Union

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is a public health agency of the African Union to support the public health initiatives of member states and strengthen the capacity of their health institutions to deal with disease threats. The Africa CDC ideas was proposed by the government of Ethiopia in 2013 during a TB/HIV special summit in Abuja, Nigeria. From 2013 to 2016, the modalities and statue of Africa CDC were developed and the specialized agency was officially launched in January 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kadiri, Ghalia; Tilouine, Joan (January 26, 2018). "A Addis-Abeba, le siège de l'Union africaine espionné par Pékin" [In Addis Ababa, the headquarters of the African Union are being spied on by Beijing]. Le Monde Afrique . Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "African Union opens Chinese-funded HQ in Ethiopia". BBC News . January 28, 2012. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Vaswani, Karishma (March 6, 2019). "Huawei: The story of a controversial company". BBC News . Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Maasho, Aaron (January 29, 2018). "China denies report it hacked African Union headquarters". Reuters . Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Aglionby, John; Feng, Emily; Yang, Yuan (January 29, 2018). "African Union accuses China of hacking headquarters" . Financial Times . Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  6. ↑ "China uses Huawei cameras to spy on African Union headquarters". The Economic Times . Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  7. ↑ "China's spies are not always as good as advertised". The Economist. ISSN   0013-0613. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  8. ↑ White, David (November 20, 2006). "THE CHINA FACTOR: A spectacular resurgence". Financial Times . Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  9. ↑ "FORUM ON CHINA-AFRICA COOPERATION BEIJING ACTION PLAN (2007–2009)". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China . November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  10. ↑ "The Company Overview". China-Africa Development Fund . Archived from the original on November 14, 2013.
  11. ↑ Akwei, Ismail (February 28, 2018). "China caught "spying" on the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa". Face2Face Africa . Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  12. 1 2 Sherman, Justin (May 28, 2019). "What's the Deal with Huawei and This African Union Headquarters Hack?". New America . Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  13. ↑ Blanchard, Ben (February 8, 2018). "African Union says has no secret dossiers after China spying report". Reuters . Archived from the original on September 10, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Shinn, David H.; Eisenman, Joshua (2023). China's Relations with Africa: a New Era of Strategic Engagement. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN   978-0-231-21001-0.
  15. ↑ de la Croix Tabaro, Jean (January 30, 2018). "Kagame Gives African Stand On "China Spying AU" Suspicions". KT Press. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  16. ↑ "China dismisses "absurd" African Union HQ spying claim". BBC News . January 29, 2018. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  17. ↑ Latif Dahir, Abdi (January 30, 2018). "China "gifted" the African Union a headquarters building and then allegedly bugged it for state secrets". Quartz . Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  18. ↑ Fitsanakis, Joseph (January 30, 2018). "China hacked African Union computer servers for five years, report claims". Intel News. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  19. ↑ Satter, Raphael (December 16, 2020). "Suspected Chinese hackers stole camera footage from African Union - memo". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.