(Bloomberg) — China’s Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning for Palau, days after the tiny Pacific island nation accused Beijing of being behind a cyber attack that allegedly led to the theft of more than 20,000 government documents.
China's consular department said on its WeChat account that Chinese nationals should “exercise caution when traveling to Palau,” citing frequent security incidents and conflicts involving Chinese tourists in Palau. Palau is one of only 12 countries that maintain diplomatic ties with the self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to eventually bring under its control, by force if necessary.
Palau President Srangel Whipps accused China of hacking government systems in an attempt to undermine Palau's ties with the United States and Taiwan, AFP reported, citing a press conference in Tokyo last week.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that the cyberattack occurred in March, the same month that Palau signed a 20-year economic and security agreement with the United States. The stolen documents included information about U.S. radar facilities, crew lists of Japanese naval vessels that had visited Palau, and details about Palau's relationship with Taiwan, according to the Times.
The documents later appeared on the dark web and were claimed by the ransomware group Dragonforce. Whipps told reporters that the incident “appears to be linked to China.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded by telling reporters that Palau “should make an early decision that serves its own long-term interests” about severing ties with Taiwan.
Taiwan's foreign ministry condemned the attack and said it was working closely with Palau to counter “authoritarian infiltration”.
–With assistance from Josh Xiao.
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