China urges US to stop targeted cyberattacks

Beijing on Tuesday urged Washington to adopt a responsible attitude on cybersecurity issues, stop its cyberattacks against China, and cease its groundless smears and accusations, vowing that the country will keep taking necessary measures to safeguard its cybersecurity.

Speaking at a daily news briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said China condemns the US governments' malicious cyber activities during the 9th Asian Winter Games.

His remarks came after police in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, said on Tuesday that they are pursuing three operatives affiliated with the US National Security Agency over suspected cyberattacks against China.

Lin told reporters that China has expressed its concerns to the United States through various channels regarding its cyberattacks on China's critical infrastructure.

He revealed that the US entities launched cyberattacks against information systems of the Games and critical information infrastructure in Heilongjiang, which in nature were extremely malicious.

Those actions posed a serious threat to the security of China's critical information infrastructure, national defense, finance, society, production, and the personal information of Chinese citizens, he added.