NEW YORK, October 14. /TASS/. Western countries accuse China of allegedly conducting espionage activities on an "unprecedented scale," The Wall Street Journal reported.

According to the newspaper, "rarely does a week go by without a warning from a Western intelligence agency about the threat that China presents," urging companies and individuals to be vigilant in their dealings with China. The Wall Street Journal said that the alleged "China-backed hackers outnumber all of the FBI's cyber personnel at least 50 to 1."

The newspaper said that Beijing is suspected of conducting espionage operations, which are "decentralized, stretching across myriad agencies and private-sector companies," with their methods "haphazard, with a mix of both private and state actors seemingly loosely guided by overarching aims laid out by senior officials" seemingly to undermine the positions of rival countries and strengthen the country's economy. Thus, according to The Wall Street Journal, last month the FBI said that "a Chinese state-linked firm hacked 260,000 internet-connected devices, including cameras and routers, in the US, Britain, France, Romania and elsewhere."

The Wall Street Journal emphasized that trade with China has supported Western economic growth for decades, which in turn underpins the countries' long-term security. According to it, "most countries simply can't afford to slap China with sanctions and throw out its diplomats."

According to a number of US analysts, China tops the list of countries engaged in hacking, cyber espionage, and malware distribution. Beijing consistently denies such accusations, pointing out that it is the victim of cyberattacks and calling the US a "hacker empire."