Australia Strengthens Cybersecurity Resilience in Response to State-Sponsored Threats from China

SYDNEY, June 19 (CNA) — As state-sponsored cyberattacks from China escalate, Australia faces a strategic dilemma: its critical infrastructure remains heavily reliant on Chinese technology. In response, cybersecurity expert Gatra Priyandita of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) stated that Canberra’s approach has evolved from traditional enforcement to prioritizing cyber resilience.

In a June 17 article for ASPI, Priyandita argued that the era of relying solely on regulation is over. The Australian Department of Home Affairs’ 'Horizon 2 Action Plan,' released in June, reflects a government realization that cyber threats evolve faster than legal frameworks. Given the impossibility of a total decoupling from Chinese technology, the strategy now focuses on creating systems capable of resisting, recovering from, and maintaining operations during attacks.

Priyandita explained that Australia’s strategic sensitivity to Chinese influence is rising, even as it seeks to stabilize relations with Beijing. A critical component of the 'Horizon 2 Action Plan' is the assessment of 'Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence' (FOCI). Businesses are now urged to scrutinize their supply chains to determine if suppliers are subject to foreign legal or political pressures that could force them to facilitate espionage or political mandates.

FOCI evaluations, covering risks such as corporate governance and ties to the Chinese military or intelligence agencies—notably regarding firms like Huawei and DeepSeek—are now considered essential. The current strategy aims to manage the reality that immediate, cost-effective decoupling is unfeasible, shifting the focus toward building an inherently resilient national digital ecosystem.