China and Russia pose same cyber threats to Europe - Pavel

China and Russia are on the same level when it comes to hacking and espionage.
This is the opinion of Czech President Petr Pavel, Censor.NET reports citing the FT.
"Beijing and Moscow are equal in terms of cyber threats...We have seen cyber attacks from both sides and almost at the same level," the Czech president told the FT.
Last month, Prague said that the Czech Foreign Ministry was the target of a "malicious cyber campaign" by the APT31 hacker group, which is linked to China's Ministry of State Security. Last year, the group was accused of similar activities by the United States and Britain, and some of its members were subject to U.S. and British sanctions. Beijing denies these accusations.
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky called the cyberattack "a clear act of espionage." He confirmed that the attackers were viewing unclassified documents related to "Asian affairs."
The Czech Republic is considered an active "defender" of Taiwan in Europe, an island that Beijing considers part of its territory. Emphasizing this position, Pavel spoke with then-Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on his first day in office in 2023.
Lipavsky noted that while China seems to be focused primarily on espionage, Russia seems to be more interested in sabotage, in the context of its invasion of Ukraine.
"Moscow is waging a hybrid war against us, and we must emphasize the word 'war,'" the minister said.
The cyberattack on the Czech Foreign Ministry is indicative of changes in Beijing, as cyberwarfare has moved to the country's main spy service, said Martin Gala, head of Sinopsis, a think tank specializing in China.
"There was a time when the Russians were much better, but that has changed, and I think the Chinese are now at least on par with the Russians technically," he said.
Takashi Hosoda, an associate professor at the Institute of Intelligence Studies at the Czech Defense University, noted that although both countries are conducting cyberattacks of similar intensity, the nature of their hacking is different.
"Russia is more focused on causing damage to infrastructure, while China is more focused on collecting data that could damage the image of its opponents," Hosoda said.
Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Prague earlier this month, Taiwan's Vice Foreign Minister Chen Ming-gee said that Taipei is now working closely with Czech authorities on cybersecurity. While Europe has become more alert to the danger posed by Russian hacking, it has not yet realized the extent of the Chinese threat. The Taiwanese official also warned of increased cyber cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.
"They are actively exchanging experience," Chen Ming-gee said.