China urges US to stop smearing China, contribute to cyberspace security

BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) -- China urges the United States to stop its smears and vilification against China, act responsibly and contribute to the peace and security of the cyberspace, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on a newly-released report by China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center, National Engineering Laboratory for Computer Virus Prevention Technology and the 360 Digital Security Group. According to the report, the United States has been hyping a hacker organization named "Volt Typhoon" since 2023 and engaging in a worldwide disinformation campaign against China.

Lin said that back in April, relevant Chinese agencies revealed the scandal about the United States framing China for being responsible for "Volt Typhoon" in order to advance its own geopolitical agenda.

The latest report further revealed that this disinformation campaign was conceived by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and other members of the U.S. intelligence community with the participation of congressional China hawks and multiple federal agencies, as well as cybersecurity agencies from other Five Eyes countries, and it aimed to manipulate public opinion, Lin said.

"Till this day, the United States still owes us an explanation after the report was released," Lin said, adding that the NSA chief is still spreading disinformation about "Volt Typhoon."

"What is worse, the latest report exposed that the U.S. government has been pressuring a cybersecurity company and asking it to rewrite its tech analysis that proves 'Volt Typhoon' to be a ransomware group," Lin added, pointing out that this is a clumsy cover-up tactic that has not worked and will not work.

Lin said that China strongly condemns the irresponsible behavior of the United States.

"The United States still owes us an explanation, and should stop its smears and vilification against China at once. We urge the United States to act responsibly and contribute to the peace and security of the cyberspace," he said.