BEIJING, February 1. /TASS/. China is not involved in hacking attacks and strongly rejects the US Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) accusations in this regard, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin told a briefing.
"The US side is jumping to conclusions, making groundless accusations and slandering China in the absence of effective evidence. <…> China firmly opposes such actions," he said, commenting on FBI Director Christopher Wray's recent statement that Beijing allegedly planned cyberattacks in the event of a conflict.
According to the spokesman, by accusing China of hacking, the US is being "extremely irresponsible, not distinguishing between good and evil." He pointed out that the US itself acts as "the initiator and organizer of cyber attacks."
Wang Wenbin added that the US Army Cyber Command has "openly listed other countries' critical infrastructure as legitimate targets for network attacks." He emphasized China’s relevant agencies are publishing reports that "expose the US government's years of cyber attacks on China's critical infrastructure."
"China resolutely opposes cyber attacks in any form and counters them in accordance with the law," Wang Wenbin pointed out. "We insist that the US side stop eavesdropping and launching cyberattacks around the world, and stop using network security problems to discredit other countries," he underscored.
Wray said earlier that Chinese hackers were "targeting critical infrastructure" in the US, including "water treatment plants, electrical infrastructure and oil and natural gas pipelines." One operation in which Chinese attackers allegedly attempted to infiltrate US computer systems to prepare for the possible disabling of critical infrastructure in the event of a conflict has been uncovered, he said.