China urges US to stop jeopardizing cybersecurity

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- China urged the United States to immediately stop its dangerous, irresponsible behavior to launch indiscriminate cyberattacks and jeopardize cybersecurity, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a regular press briefing when answering a query regarding two analysis reports released by 360 Digital Security Group on Feb. 7, which disclosed in detail the U.S. government's global implementation of its cyber deterrence strategy and indiscriminate cyberattacks against U.S. allies and other countries.

Wang said that the large number of cases and evidence enumerated in the reports provide a powerful account of how the U.S. government uses its supremacy and predominance to act wantonly in cyberspace, which puts the international rules and order on cyberspace in jeopardy, endangers cyber peace and security, and harms the security and development interests of China and other countries.

With an unparalleled control over global Internet resources, the U.S. government is known to have disconnected countries from the Internet, causing severe damage to their social stability and economic security, Wang said.

He added that Washington uses its dominance over global operating systems and Internet services to carry out massive, indiscriminate surveillance and data theft, infringing on the right to privacy of many countries' citizens. It has established a large cyber arsenal, and developed and spread advanced weapons used to attack key foreign infrastructure, putting the global key infrastructure at great risk.

The U.S. government has blatantly supported cyberattack organizations to carry out long-lasting, continuous cyberattacks against government agencies, important organizations and critical infrastructure of many countries in the world, including U.S. allies, he said.

"Without exaggeration, the U.S. is the number one source of cyber risks and challenges. No country in the world can ever insulate itself from the threat of U.S. cyberattack," said Wang.

He said that cyberspace should not be a battlefield. It is not a grey area for the United States to rise above the rules and act wantonly without any consequences, still less should it become the tool to kneecap other countries' development and disrupt world peace. The international community has a common responsibility to uphold the international order in cyberspace and safeguard its peace and security.

"We urge the United States to immediately stop its dangerous, irresponsible behavior, and join the international community's collective effort toward a cyberspace featuring peace, security, openness and cooperation," said Wang.