The hacks are part of a wider cyber-espionage campaign targeting “high-value individuals” such as diplomats and foreign military personnel, the sources said. But China has also prioritized tracking the movements of ethnic Uighurs, a minority mostly Muslim group considered a security threat by Beijing.
China is facing growing international criticism over its treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang. Members of the group have been subject to mass detentions in what China calls “vocational training” centers and widespread state surveillance.
Beijing’s alleged cyberspace attacks against Uighurs show how it is able to pursue those policies beyond its physical borders.
As part of the campaign, different groups of Chinese hackers have compromised telecoms operators in countries including Turkey, Kazakhstan, India, Thailand and Malaysia, the four sources said.
Those countries are frequently used as transit routes by Uighurs to travel between Xinjiang and Turkey in what human rights activists say is an attempt to escape state persecution.
Beijing has said that such travelers may be going to fight for militant groups in Iraq and Syria, with Chinese officials saying that the measures in Xinjiang are needed to stem the threat of Islamist extremism.
China has repeatedly denied involvement in cyber attacks or any mistreatment of the Uighur people, whose religious and cultural rights Beijing says are fully protected, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry said any hacking allegations need to be supported by evidence.
“We would again like to stress that China is a resolute safeguarder of internet security. We consistently and resolutely oppose and crack down on any ..
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