China Rejects New Zealand Intelligence Report Alleging Large Scale Espionage

China's embassy in Wellington has condemned claims made by New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service that Beijing is conducting espionage against the country at scale. The spy agency's annual report identified China as the only country conducting such activities at that scale and warned that the frequency of these activities is expected to increase over the next 12 months. The report further alleged that China is the most active country conducting foreign interference in New Zealand and noted that spies have used professional networking sites to recruit citizens with access to state secrets.

Beijing's embassy described the allegations as groundless and fabricated. A spokesperson accused the agency of smearing normal cooperation as espionage and suggested that the report reflects the influence of anti China forces. The embassy further claimed that the report is a product of foreign interference and a Cold War mentality.

According to the intelligence report, the agency disrupted an attempt by the military linked Purple Mountain Observatory to covertly set up Ground Based Space Infrastructure in New Zealand. The report stated that a local company, which was not named, was likely unaware that the equipment could collect intelligence of military value.

Reporting on the event differed in framing based on political lean. A center left source focused on the specific details of the disrupted infrastructure project and the context of recent diplomatic tensions. A center right source emphasized the embassy's claims of foreign interference and the director general's description of the current threat environment as the most challenging of recent times.