Germany's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Chinese ambassador to Berlin, a spokesman told a press briefing on Wednesday. The reason given was a 2021 cyberattack on the German government's mapping agency by "Chinese state actors."

"We resolutely oppose such cyber activities directed against Germany and.. advocate responsible and rules-based behavior in cyberspace," spokesman Sebastian Fischer said, adding that "the danger posed by Chinese espionage and Chinese cyberattacks" should not be underestimated.

The target was the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) in Frankfurt, which analyzes detailed satellite images, among other things.

Governments around the world accuse China of cyberattacks

Several governments in recent years have accused China of launching cyberattacks on government and private company data, including the United States, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and India. 

In 2017, the US news magazine Foreign Policy cited experts who believe China to have a "hacker army" of tens of thousands of people.

This is the first time the Chinese envoy in Berlin has been summoned since 1989, when the Chinese government reacted with violence to student-led protests in Tiananmen Square.

es/ab (dpa, Reuters)