China's Cyber Capabilities Now Match US Power in Technology Theft Operations

2026-04-24 semicon

The Hague, Friday, 24 April 2026.
Dutch intelligence reveals China has achieved parity with America in offensive cyber warfare, specifically targeting semiconductor and quantum computing secrets from European companies and universities through sophisticated hacking campaigns.

MIVD Assessment Reveals Unprecedented Cyber Threat Parity

The Netherlands’ Defence Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) published its annual report on April 22, 2026, delivering a stark assessment that China’s offensive cyber capabilities have achieved parity with the United States [1]. This marks the first time a Western intelligence agency has publicly declared such equivalence between Chinese and American cyber warfare capabilities. The MIVD attributes China’s rapid advancement to a comprehensive restructuring of the People’s Liberation Army’s cyber operations in 2024, which dissolved the Strategic Support Force and established a dedicated Cyberspace Force [1]. This organizational change enabled Chinese hackers to continuously adapt their tooling and infrastructure throughout 2025, resulting in what the MIVD describes as significantly improved operational tempo [1].

Sophisticated Technology Theft Campaigns Target Critical Sectors

Chinese state-backed groups are conducting active technology theft campaigns against Dutch researchers, businesses, and universities in three critical sectors: semiconductors, quantum computing, and aerospace [1][2]. The MIVD report emphasizes that detection, response, and mitigation against these extensive and professional Chinese cyber threats are often inadequate, with only a limited proportion of operations against Dutch interests being detected [1]. This assessment aligns with broader intelligence findings, as Google’s Threat Intelligence Group reported in March 2026 that China-linked groups doubled their zero-day exploitation activities in 2025 [1][4]. The targeting represents a systematic approach to acquiring high-value technological knowledge that supports China’s broader strategic objectives of creating an alternative world order and competing with Western nations economically [7].

Infiltration of Dutch Infrastructure Through Edge Device Exploitation

The cyber espionage campaigns have successfully penetrated Dutch digital infrastructure through sophisticated techniques targeting edge devices. In 2025, the Salt Typhoon and RedMike campaigns gained unauthorized access to routers at smaller Dutch hosting and internet service providers [1][5][7]. These operations were part of a broader international effort, as Dutch authorities joined a 13-country advisory in August 2025 attributing these campaigns to three Chinese technology companies acting on behalf of Beijing [1]. The MIVD has disclosed previously unpublicized details of PLA hacking units, including intra-unit competition to find vulnerabilities in specific categories of edge devices during 2025 [1]. The intelligence service forecasts a further increase in campaigns targeting edge devices, including routers, firewalls, and VPN solutions, throughout 2026 [1][5].

Broader Strategic Implications for European Security

The MIVD’s assessment extends beyond bilateral Dutch-Chinese cyber activities, explicitly stating that Chinese groups ‘structurally target EU and NATO members,’ placing allied organizations across Europe within the threat perimeter [1][5]. This systematic targeting reflects what AIVD Director-General Simone Smit characterized as an unprecedented threat environment, stating that ‘in the 80 years that the AIVD and its predecessors have existed, there has never been a threat picture like now, where national security is simultaneously under pressure from so many sides for so long’ [6][7]. The intelligence services’ warnings coincide with broader geopolitical tensions, as the Dutch Ministry of Defense noted on April 24, 2026, that critical materials and technology, including semiconductors, have become geopolitical factors in the context of an increasingly assertive China [8]. The MIVD’s forecast that China can better integrate offensive cyber capabilities with military operations underscores the strategic nature of these technology acquisition campaigns [1].

Bronnen

semiconductor cybersecurity