China’s foreign ministry has issued a travel alert for Palau, days after the tiny Pacific archipelago accused Beijing of being involved in a cyberattack in which more than 20,000 government documents were reportedly stolen.
Chinese citizens should “exercise caution when traveling to Palau,” the ministry’s department of consular affairs said on its WeChat account, citing frequent occurrence of safety cases or disputes involving Chinese tourists in the island nation. Palau is one of only 12 countries that maintain diplomatic ties to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing has pledged to bring under its control someday, by force if necessary.
Palau’s president Surangel Whipps blamed China for hacking into government systems in a bid to weaken the island nation’s ties with the US and Taiwan, according to an AFP report citing a briefing in Tokyo last week.
The cyberattack took place in March, when Palau signed a 20-year economic and security deal with the US, the New York Times reported earlier this month. The stolen documents reportedly include information about US radar installations and crew lists of Japanese Navy ships visiting Palau, as well as details of the country’s relationship with Taiwan, according to the NYT.
The documents later appeared on the dark web and ransomware group DragonForce claimed responsibility. Whipps told reporters the case “looks like it has ties back to China.” In response, Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry, told reporters that Palau should “make an early decision that serves its own long-term interests,” referring to cutting ties with Taiwan.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks and said it has been working closely with Palau to counter “authoritarian infiltration.”
Bloomberg
