In a rare move, Australia has joined with the US, Britain and the European Union to call-out Beijing, blaming China or a series of cyber attacks. 

China is accused of exploiting vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Exchange in January this year, affecting computers and networks worldwide, including Australia.

Foreign policy expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Michael Shoebridge told Neil Breen, it’s a significant move.

“It is really big news to have all of the countries you mentioned, plus the whole of NATO, pretty much every individual member of the EU as well, join this assessment that this was China, it was China’s government ministry of state security, but worse than that it was the ministry of state security working with China’s cyber hackers and criminals, including people that conduct ransomware attack.

“If you wanted to understand the depth of China as a maligned international actor in the digital world, it doesn’t get much worse than this.”

Press PLAY below to hear his insights into the escalation 

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