China Denies US Allegations About Cyberattack

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin delivered a press statement in Beijing, China on February 1, 2024. (ANTARA/Desca Lidya Natalia)

JAKARTA - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin strongly denied allegations of cyber attacks on a number of important infrastructures in the United States.

"China firmly opposes and takes action against any form of cyberattack according to the law. Without valid evidence, the US is making conclusions and making baseless accusations against China," he told media in Beijing.

Director of the US Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI) Christopher Wray told members of the US Congress on Wednesday (31/1) accusing Chinese hackers of targeting important infrastructure in the US, such as water treatment installations, electricity, and natural oil and gas pipelines.

"(The allegations) are very irresponsible and distort the facts. China firmly opposes this," said Wang Wenbin.

He emphasized that the US itself is the country of origin for cyberattacks.

"The US Cyber Forces Commander publicly stated that other countries' important infrastructure is the legitimate target of US cyberattacks," said Wang Wenbin.

He said that since 2023, China's Cybersecurity Agency has released a report exposing the longstanding US government cyberattack on China's important infrastructure.

"Unresponsible policies and practices like this have put global critical infrastructure into a very large risk position. We urge the US to stop cyber spy activities and cyberattacks around the world, and stop vilifying other countries for cybersecurity reasons," he said.

Chritopher Wray before the US Congress said the Chinese government was trying to weaken the US through espionage campaigns, intellectual property theft and cyberattacks.

He also told members of Congress that the FBI had deactivated the "Volt Typhoon" group suspected of hacking hundreds of "routers" to access US asset data.

Washington fears foreign interference will emerge ahead of the US presidential election in November 2024.

During a meeting in San Francisco, USA, in November 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured US President Joe Biden that his country would not interfere in the 2024 US elections.

That attitude was reaffirmed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan at their meeting last weekend.