China urged the United States and Britain to stop making cybersecurity a political issue, criticizing them for unfairly accusing China, tarnishing its reputation, and imposing sanctions on the country.
According to Lin Jian, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, the U.S. and Britain are engaging in political tactics by bringing up alleged cyberattacks by China and sanctioning Chinese individuals and groups. China strongly disagrees with these actions and firmly opposes them.
Both U.S. and British officials recently filed charges, imposed sanctions, and accused Beijing of extensive cyber espionage that reportedly affected millions of people. They labeled the hacking group Advanced Persistent Threat Group 31 (APT31) as an extension of China’s Ministry of State Security.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Credits: Reuters)
However, the Chinese Embassy in London dismissed these charges as completely false and malicious accusations. Lin Jian emphasized that China had previously responded to Britain’s allegations about APT31, demonstrating that the evidence provided was insufficient and lacked professionalism. Despite China’s efforts to clarify, Britain did not provide further responses.
Britain also accused Chinese hackers of attempting to hack into the email accounts of British lawmakers who were critical of China. Lin stated that China has expressed serious concerns to all relevant parties and will take necessary steps to protect its legitimate rights and interests.
Flag of China (Credits: Asharq Al-Awsat)
Several other countries have also accused China of hacking and cyberattacks, all of which China has denied. For instance, New Zealand recently raised concerns with China about its alleged involvement in a state-sponsored cyber hack on New Zealand’s parliament in 2021.
The United States initiated an operation earlier this year to combat a widespread Chinese hacking operation that compromised numerous internet-connected devices.
