China urges U.S. to immediately cease malicious cyber activities

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday urged the United States to offer an explanation for and put an immediate end to its malicious cyber activities, vowing to take necessary measures to safeguard its cybersecurity and its own interests.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to relevant reports that exposed cyberattacks perpetrated by the United States on 45 countries and regions over more than 10 years.

When asked to comment, Hua said China is seriously concerned about the irresponsible and malicious cyber activities exposed in the reports and strongly urges the U.S. to issue an explanation and immediately cease such activities.

Citing reports of U.S. cyberattacks on China by the Equation Group and the hacking group APT-C-39, Hua said these attacks may result in massive leaks of personal information, trade secrets and intellectual property, and threaten the security of China's critical infrastructure.

Hua said the U.S. Intelligence Law allows the U.S. government to engage in massive and indiscriminate theft of information and data from all over the world including its allies. "The reports exposed that, apart from China and other developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, the U.S. cyberattacks also targets its allies including those in European as well as members of the Five Eyes Alliance."

The U.S. is actively seeking multilateral and bilateral cooperation on cybersecurity in the name of helping countries enhance their capabilities, which calls the United States' real intentions into question, Hua said.

Noting that cyberspace is the common territory of all people and that maintaining cybersecurity is a common challenge for all countries, Hua said China hopes the U.S. will reflect, adopt a responsible attitude in cyberspace, and work with all parties to jointly safeguard peace and security in cyberspace through dialogue and cooperation.