François-Xavier Bellamy, the Republican candidate in the European elections, announced on Monday, May 6th, that he had been the victim of an attempted espionage operation originating from China. At the same time, President Emmanuel Macron was meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Paris. Bellamy stated his intention to file a complaint with the specialized J3 section of the Paris public prosecutor’s office for “fraudulent introduction and maintenance in an automated data processing system.”
In recent weeks, several other French parliamentarians have also claimed to have been targets of Chinese espionage campaigns. These individuals are all connected to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a network of elected officials that has drawn criticism from Beijing. Seven French parliamentarians confirmed that they had been targeted by a Chinese cyberattack at the beginning of 2021, calling for French authorities to take action against those responsible. The FBI had alerted these parliamentarians to the cyber threats.
The origins of these statements can be traced back to American federal investigators (FBI), who on March 25th, published an indictment targeting seven presumed members of APT31. This group of hackers, believed to be directly controlled by the Chinese government, has been linked to numerous cyber espionage operations over the past decade. The FBI report does not go into detail about APT31’s operations outside the US, but it mentions a campaign in January 2021 that involved sending over 1,000 emails to more than 400 accounts or individuals associated with the IPAC.
Former French Senator André Gattolin and Member of Parliament Anne Genetet confirmed that they had received emails related to the Covid-19 crisis in January 2021. They both filed complaints about the emails, and other IPAC members in countries like Belgium, New Zealand, and the UK received similar emails. A meeting between targeted IPAC members and American authorities took place on May 9th, with French officials criticized for a lack of communication with the affected politicians. Bellamy expressed concerns about the lack of information from French authorities.
The targeted French parliamentarians are calling for a response from the French government regarding the cyber espionage actions linked to China. Bellamy and other politicians express dissatisfaction with the lack of communication and clarity around the situation. The involvement of APT31 in cyber activities targeting members of the IPAC has raised concerns about the handling of geopolitical tensions and cybersecurity threats between China and Western countries. The case highlights the importance of enhancing digital security measures and international cooperation in response to cyber threats.
