Chinese Embassy issues statement after Reuters report of hacking Kenyan gov't agencies

The Chinese Embassy has addressed a report published by Reuters, which alleged that Chinese hackers had targeted Kenyan government departments.

On Wednesday, May 24, Reuters reported that years-long cyberattacks started in 2019 when China began slowing down on lending the Kenyan government as hardships had emerged.

The report further said the hackers secretly accessed an email server used by Kenya's National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The spokesperson strongly refuted the claims, dismissing them as groundless, far-fetched, and sheer nonsense.

Highlighting the global nature of hacking threats, the spokesperson said that China, like many other countries, is not immune to cyber-attacks. They reaffirmed China's unwavering stance against cyber attacks and cyber theft.

"The said false report is groundless, far-fetched and sheer nonsense. Hacking is a common threat to all countries and China is also a victim of cyber attack.

"China consistently and firmly opposes and combats cyber attacks and cyber theft in all forms. Tracing the source of cyber attacks is a complex technical issue," the spokesperson said in the statement.

President William Ruto met with the Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, Dr. Zhou Pingjian, at State House in Nairobi on December 20, 2022 Pulse Live Kenya

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The spokesperson cautioned against assigning blame to any government without concrete evidence.

They stressed the importance of responsible journalism, urging the relevant media to adopt a professional approach and conduct thorough investigations before making assumptions and accusations.

"The relevant media should adopt a professional and responsible attitude and underscore the importance to have enough evidence when conducting reports, rather than make groundless assumptions and accusations," the spokesperson noted.

The spokesperson emphasized the strong bond between China and Kenya, referring to them as good friends, good partners, and good brothers.

President William Ruto met with the Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, Dr. Zhou Pingjian, at State House in Nairobi on December 20, 2022 Pulse Live Kenya

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The spokesperson warned against attempts to sow discord between China and Kenya, emphasizing that such efforts are destined to fail and only serve to bring disgrace upon those involved.

China, which accounted for about one-third of Kenya's 2021-22 external debt service costs, is the nation's biggest foreign creditor after the World Bank.