The UK Government has sanctioned several Chinese nationals for an alleged “malicious” cyber campaign against UK political figures.
Two people and a Chinese company have been sanctioned over a cyber attack that may have exposed data from 40 million people.
The UK and the US believe that the Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (APT 31) cyber group targeted prominent figures who were critical of Beijing and gained access to electoral registers linked to millions of people.
Zhao Guangzong and Ni Gaobin have been named as the people sanctioned by the UK Government, alongside the company Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology Company Ltd.
UK Government officials believe the cyber-spying group is affiliated with the Chinese state, as well as the individuals named.
According to the UK’s sanction list, Guangzong and Gaobin have been slapped with an asset freeze and travel ban. They were identified as “involved person[s] in the activity of the APT31 group operating on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security”.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, told the Financial Times that the accusations were “groundless” and said China “firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyber attacks“.
Pengyu also claimed that China had similarly been subjected to cyber attacks, adding the “US itself is the origin and the biggest perpetrator”.It’s not the first time China has faced sanctions from the UK, but what exactly is a sanction, and what does it mean?
What is a sanction?
A sanction is basically a penalty which, in this case, the UK Government imposed in response to certain violations.
According to the UK Government website, sanctions are “restrictive measures that can be implemented to fulfil a range of purposes”.
Sanctions can come in various forms, such as financial sanctions that freeze someone’s assets, trade sanctions that place an embargo on arms sales, and immigration sanctions that ban people from travel.
They can also be imposed against ships and planes, further impacting a person’s ability to move around the globe.
Their aim is to deter certain activities by making such behaviour costly to the people, businesses and nations involved.
In a report about UK sanctions, Foreign Secretary David Cameron explained: “We live in a more dangerous and uncertain world. A world marked by hostile states, terrorist organisations, cyber threats, criminal gangs, and a whole range of challenges to our democratic and economic system.
“For Britain and our partners, sanctions are a vital tool for pursuing our interests and protecting our values. They send a signal. But they also have a tangible impact.”
Cameron added that the goal is to “impose costs on those we target, thereby changing their calculus”.
After passing the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, the Government was allowed to create its own sanctions as opposed to following EU directives.
How many sanctions has the UK imposed?
According to Reuters, the UK has sanctioned more than 1,600 people and frozen more than £18bn in assets.
Some of the most well-reported sanctions are linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine, where governments around the world targeted prominent Russian figures to strike at the heart of the Kremlin's interests.
Just last month, the UK imposed 50 fresh sanctions on Russia. Cameron then added: “Our international economic pressure means Russia cannot afford this illegal invasion. Our sanctions are starving Putin of the resources he desperately needs to fund his struggling war.”
However, sanctions aren’t just limited to countries involved in conflict. They can also be issued against individuals who may have been involved with potentially criminal behaviour or events that may pose a threat to UK interests and security.
Statistics suggest that Russia is actually the most sanctioned country in the world, followed by Iran, Syria, North Korea, and Belarus.
What are the UK sanctions on China?
It’s unclear how many assets were frozen as part of the recent round of sanctions, but this means UK businesses can’t handle any finances linked to those involved.
It’s also unclear how long the sanctions will be in place, but a travel ban will prevent those sanctioned from entering or travelling through the UK.
It’s not the first time that China has been the focus of UK sanctions. In December 2023, the UK released another round of sanctions that targeted those funding Putin’s war.
Among them were three Chinese entities that were said to be supplying Russia with sanctioned goods.
