In a report published over the weekend by Le Monde, a respectable French newspaper, claimed over the weekend that data from A.U. servers were transferred to servers in Shanghai at odd times of the day.
“In January 2017, the AU’s technical staff discovered that its servers were strangely active with a peak in data transfer between midnight and 2 am when it’s offices were empty. A computer scientist found that there was a massive transfer of internal data of the AU,” the report said.
It continued that upon finding out the strange storage of confidential documents, the A.U. subsequently changed servers following which security experts also found secret microphones installed in desks in the entire building.
The report adds that it was not only the Chinese that eavesdropped on what the leaders and technocrats were doing, they cited instances of the U.S. National Security Agency and U.K. spy agency (GCHQ) also engaging in some form of spying on the A.U. building.
However the Chinese have denied the bugging accusations.
It’s ambassador to the A.U. rubbished the report describing it as ‘sensational’ and ‘preposterous.’
Kuang Weilin told reporters in Addis Ababa that it was difficult to grasp what was contained in the Le Monde report.
“I really question its intention.
“I think it will undermine and send a very negative image to people. I think it is not good for the image of the newspaper itself. Certainly, it will create problems for China – Africa relations,” he added.
The Chinese built the AU headquarters at a cost of $200 million. They were officially opened in 2012.
The new AU chairperson, President Paul Kagame while dismissing the spying reports questioned why Africa had in the first place allowed the Chinese to build the AU headquarters.
“I wish we had built this building ourselves,” he said.