The Chinese Embassy in Norway issued a stern statement on February 7th in response to several annual threat assessment reports recently released by Norway's three major security and intelligence agencies. The Chinese Embassy stated that the relevant report contents are based on fiction and imagination, deliberately creating a "China threat" narrative. Not only does this seriously deviate from the facts, but it also disrupts the healthy development of China-Norway relations.
The Chinese Embassy said that China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this, and urges the relevant Norwegian agencies to recognize the trend of the times and cease actions that damage cooperation between the two countries.
The Chinese Embassy stated that China has never targeted Norway. The facts are clear and widely recognized by the international community.
On the 6th, the Norwegian Intelligence Service, the Police Security Service, and the National Security Authority jointly released their annual threat assessment report. The report warned that the risks of sabotage, foreign interference, and cyberattacks are increasing, especially from Russia, China, and Iran. These agencies pointed out that the threat of terrorism still exists in Norway, with both right-wing extremist groups and Islamist groups being considered persistent areas of concern.
The report accuses China of posing a very significant intelligence threat, one that will intensify over time; China's activities to exert influence are also becoming increasingly prominent. Chinese intelligence agencies are also said to attempt to recruit Norwegian nationals to obtain sensitive and confidential information. Typically, Chinese intelligence is interested in recruiting personnel from enterprises, the military, researchers, as well as those holding key positions in government agencies and political organizations. The diplomatic policy sector is especially vulnerable to attack. The report also claims that China uses both legitimate cooperation and covert means to acquire knowledge related to technologies with military applications.