What game would that be?The AU is nothing but a bunch of rich politicians with no real interest in advancing the continent except to fatten their pockets. They won't mind the Chinese coming in as long as it doesn't feel like Western-style imperialism. But they don't realize China is playing the long game.
Remember the African Union building China built? Its riddled with microphones and bugs
- Thread starter ☑︎#VoteDemocrat
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hu3ypdadon
All Star
Lesson to learn here:We only have us and have to do for self
backbreaker65
All Star
Russia did to America the Same way in the 80's. Nixon dumb ass let Russia build the embassy with no supervision, but Russia would not let America build their embassy here in the states. The shyt came up again because Donald Trump is going to let Russia build our embassy again in Moscow.
The spy Robert Hanssen who worked for the FBI told the Russians that we had built a tunnel under the Russian embassy to spy on them too
This shyt never ends
U.S. THINKS AGENT REVEALED TUNNEL AT SOVIET EMBASSY
What lies beneath? FBI tunnel in Glover Park heated up the Cold War.
China "gifted" the African Union a headquarters building and then allegedly had it bugged
China “gifted” the African Union a headquarters building and then allegedly bugged it for state secrets
Written by
Abdi Latif Dahir
China’s government has denied reports that it spied on the servers at the African Union’s Chinese-built headquarters for more than five years, gaining access to confidential information.
In an investigation published by French newspaper Le Monde, China, which also paid and built the computer network at the AU, allegedly inserted a backdoor (in French) that allowed it to transfer data. The hack wasn’t detected until Jan. 2017 when technicians noticed that between midnight and 2 am every night, there was a peak in data usage even though the building was empty. After investigating, it was found that the continental organization’s confidential data was being copied on to servers in Shanghai.
China’s ambassador to the AU dismissed the reports as “absurd” and “preposterous.” Kuang Weilin told reporters in Ethiopia that it was “very difficult to understand” Le Monde’s claims and that the story was certain to “create problems for China-Africa relations.”
The revelations come as African presidents convene in Addis Ababa to attend the continental summit on governance. In 2012, when the AU building was completed, it was signified as a symbolic gesture aimed at solidifying Sino-Africa relations. The landmark 20-story office tower overlooking a pearl-shaped conference center was “a gift” from the Chinese government to help African nations integrate better and improve their institutional capacity.
But the alleged data theft puts a spin on that rosy affair and might strain the relationship between the two sides. China is heavily involved in Africa, with its companies and entrepreneurs conducting trade and investing heavily in African countries. Chinese aid has also been blamed for propping up authoritarian regimes, constructing shoddy roads and infrastructure built by imported Chinese workers, and focusing mainly on countries home to oil, minerals, and other resources that China needs. But China is also cultivating the next generation of African leaders, with Beijing taking thousands of African leaders, bureaucrats, students, and business people to China for training and education.
Since the discovery of the hack, the AU has allegedly acquired its own servers and refused Chinese offers to reconfigure them. Algerian and Ethiopian officials also combed through the building, checking for any suspicious materials and microphones.
Electronic communications are also now encrypted and reportedly no longer pass through the state-owned operator Ethio Telecom. Ethiopia, home to the third largest number of diplomatic missions in the world after New York and Geneva, is also known for its own cyber surveillance and for cracking down on internet freedom. Last month, a report by the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs found that the Horn of Africa nation was using Israeli spyware to surveil dissidents and critics based in 20 countries across the world.
Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief — the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox.
China “gifted” the African Union a headquarters building and then allegedly bugged it for state secrets
Written by
Abdi Latif Dahir
China’s government has denied reports that it spied on the servers at the African Union’s Chinese-built headquarters for more than five years, gaining access to confidential information.
In an investigation published by French newspaper Le Monde, China, which also paid and built the computer network at the AU, allegedly inserted a backdoor (in French) that allowed it to transfer data. The hack wasn’t detected until Jan. 2017 when technicians noticed that between midnight and 2 am every night, there was a peak in data usage even though the building was empty. After investigating, it was found that the continental organization’s confidential data was being copied on to servers in Shanghai.
China’s ambassador to the AU dismissed the reports as “absurd” and “preposterous.” Kuang Weilin told reporters in Ethiopia that it was “very difficult to understand” Le Monde’s claims and that the story was certain to “create problems for China-Africa relations.”
The revelations come as African presidents convene in Addis Ababa to attend the continental summit on governance. In 2012, when the AU building was completed, it was signified as a symbolic gesture aimed at solidifying Sino-Africa relations. The landmark 20-story office tower overlooking a pearl-shaped conference center was “a gift” from the Chinese government to help African nations integrate better and improve their institutional capacity.
But the alleged data theft puts a spin on that rosy affair and might strain the relationship between the two sides. China is heavily involved in Africa, with its companies and entrepreneurs conducting trade and investing heavily in African countries. Chinese aid has also been blamed for propping up authoritarian regimes, constructing shoddy roads and infrastructure built by imported Chinese workers, and focusing mainly on countries home to oil, minerals, and other resources that China needs. But China is also cultivating the next generation of African leaders, with Beijing taking thousands of African leaders, bureaucrats, students, and business people to China for training and education.
Since the discovery of the hack, the AU has allegedly acquired its own servers and refused Chinese offers to reconfigure them. Algerian and Ethiopian officials also combed through the building, checking for any suspicious materials and microphones.
Electronic communications are also now encrypted and reportedly no longer pass through the state-owned operator Ethio Telecom. Ethiopia, home to the third largest number of diplomatic missions in the world after New York and Geneva, is also known for its own cyber surveillance and for cracking down on internet freedom. Last month, a report by the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs found that the Horn of Africa nation was using Israeli spyware to surveil dissidents and critics based in 20 countries across the world.
Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief — the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox.
If China Bugged the AU Headquarters, What African Countries Should Be Worried?
If China Bugged the AU Headquarters, What African Countries Should Be Worried?
China fiercely denied reports that it spied on the African Union for five years after building its new headquarters.
Shannon Tiezzi
Six years ago, in January 2012, the African Union inaugurated its new headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The $200 million building was funded and largely built by China, even using building materials imported from China.
“China — its amazing re-emergence and its commitments for a win-win partnership with Africa — is one of the reasons for the beginning of the African renaissance,” Ethiopia’s prime minster said at the time. The nearly-100 meter tower of the AU building served as a visible symbol of China’s partnership with the African Union, and its member countries.
That symbolism took a hit this week, with an explosive report by French paper Le Monde alleging that China had used its involvement in the construction project to bug the building – even arranging for the AU computer network, also China’s handiwork, to copy data to servers in Shanghai each night. According to the report, the espionage was not noticed until January 2017 – meaning China had access to sensitive data from within the building for five years.
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The AU has since put new cybersecurity measures in place – and declined China’s offer to configure its brand new servers. During a sweep of the building, microphones were found in the walls and under desks. Reports from 2012 had noted that even the office furniture of the new AU headquarters had been supplied by China; that generosity looks more suspect now.
China immediately and categorically denied the allegations. Chinese Ambassador to the AU Kuang Weilin told reporters in Ethiopia that the claims of Chinese espionage at the headquarters were “absurd” and “difficult to understand.”
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying went further, saying “What was reported by Le Monde in this case is utterly groundless and ridiculous.”
“We never interfere in Africa’s domestic affairs and never engage in any activity detrimental to Africa’s interests,” Hua said. “China-Africa cooperation will in no way be disrupted by the nonsense report of Le Monde.”
Kuang seems to disagree on that point, saying, “Certainly, it will create problems for China-Africa relations.”
The Le Monde report notes that China is not alone in spying on the AU – British and French intelligence services have previously targeted the organization as well. At least one diplomat who spoke to the French paper was not too concerned about the alleged espionage, saying that at least China had not colonized African countries, and was currently helping out economically.
But the optics of China supplying every detail of the new headquarters, right down to the furniture, only to have used those same gifts for espionage, are troubling – especially as China seeks to bolster support for construction projects of all kinds across Eurasia in the name of the Belt and Road.
Plus, if the Le Monde report is true, more than the AU may have been compromised. The AU headquarters is far from the only government building China has constructed in Africa. China recently inked deals to build and finance parliament buildings in Zimbabwe and the Republic of Congo, not to mention the entire Central Business District of Egypt’s new administrative capital. Finished projects include parliament buildings in Malawi, Seychelles, Guinea-Bissau, and Lesotho as well as a renovation of the parliament building of Sierra Leone.
According to Deloitte’s Africa Construction Trends (2017) report, China financed 15.5 percent of projects reviewed — more than any other single country. When it comes to construction, China has an even larger lead:
China has overtaken private domestic firms as the most prolific (and single country) builder of projects, constructing 85 projects… Italian firms are the next most prominent builders, albeit some way behind with 17 projects.
In East Africa specifically, the report found that China finances “one in four projects in the region” and constructs “over half of all projects.”
Despite Beijing’s denials, the Le Monde report calls into question the (literally) hidden costs of allowing China to construct government buildings and other sensitive infrastructure — in Africa and elsewhere.
If China Bugged the AU Headquarters, What African Countries Should Be Worried?
China fiercely denied reports that it spied on the African Union for five years after building its new headquarters.
Shannon Tiezzi
Six years ago, in January 2012, the African Union inaugurated its new headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The $200 million building was funded and largely built by China, even using building materials imported from China.
“China — its amazing re-emergence and its commitments for a win-win partnership with Africa — is one of the reasons for the beginning of the African renaissance,” Ethiopia’s prime minster said at the time. The nearly-100 meter tower of the AU building served as a visible symbol of China’s partnership with the African Union, and its member countries.
That symbolism took a hit this week, with an explosive report by French paper Le Monde alleging that China had used its involvement in the construction project to bug the building – even arranging for the AU computer network, also China’s handiwork, to copy data to servers in Shanghai each night. According to the report, the espionage was not noticed until January 2017 – meaning China had access to sensitive data from within the building for five years.
Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.
The AU has since put new cybersecurity measures in place – and declined China’s offer to configure its brand new servers. During a sweep of the building, microphones were found in the walls and under desks. Reports from 2012 had noted that even the office furniture of the new AU headquarters had been supplied by China; that generosity looks more suspect now.
China immediately and categorically denied the allegations. Chinese Ambassador to the AU Kuang Weilin told reporters in Ethiopia that the claims of Chinese espionage at the headquarters were “absurd” and “difficult to understand.”
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying went further, saying “What was reported by Le Monde in this case is utterly groundless and ridiculous.”
“We never interfere in Africa’s domestic affairs and never engage in any activity detrimental to Africa’s interests,” Hua said. “China-Africa cooperation will in no way be disrupted by the nonsense report of Le Monde.”
Kuang seems to disagree on that point, saying, “Certainly, it will create problems for China-Africa relations.”
The Le Monde report notes that China is not alone in spying on the AU – British and French intelligence services have previously targeted the organization as well. At least one diplomat who spoke to the French paper was not too concerned about the alleged espionage, saying that at least China had not colonized African countries, and was currently helping out economically.
But the optics of China supplying every detail of the new headquarters, right down to the furniture, only to have used those same gifts for espionage, are troubling – especially as China seeks to bolster support for construction projects of all kinds across Eurasia in the name of the Belt and Road.
Plus, if the Le Monde report is true, more than the AU may have been compromised. The AU headquarters is far from the only government building China has constructed in Africa. China recently inked deals to build and finance parliament buildings in Zimbabwe and the Republic of Congo, not to mention the entire Central Business District of Egypt’s new administrative capital. Finished projects include parliament buildings in Malawi, Seychelles, Guinea-Bissau, and Lesotho as well as a renovation of the parliament building of Sierra Leone.
According to Deloitte’s Africa Construction Trends (2017) report, China financed 15.5 percent of projects reviewed — more than any other single country. When it comes to construction, China has an even larger lead:
China has overtaken private domestic firms as the most prolific (and single country) builder of projects, constructing 85 projects… Italian firms are the next most prominent builders, albeit some way behind with 17 projects.
In East Africa specifically, the report found that China finances “one in four projects in the region” and constructs “over half of all projects.”
Despite Beijing’s denials, the Le Monde report calls into question the (literally) hidden costs of allowing China to construct government buildings and other sensitive infrastructure — in Africa and elsewhere.
There is a hotel in Niger where reportedly the USAID workers can no longer stay due to bugging of the hotel by the Chinese. It's a Chinese built hotel but definitely the most modern in Niamey but if you stay there you're apparently going to get spied on. Even a lot of Chinese don't stay there. Between the Grand Hotel and Hotel Gaweye, though they are old, at least your room isn't bugged.