The Chinese government has denied any involvement in the theft of commercial secrets, in a sharp rebuff to allegations from the US and the UK that Beijing has for several years run a targeted cyber-based operation to steal trade secrets from western governments and technology companies.
The statement from China’s Foreign Ministry comes just hours after the US, the UK and several allies accused Beijing of a worldwide campaign of cyber attacks aimed at stealing technology related to a host of industries, including aviation, satellites, finance and electronics.
The Chinese foreign ministry rejected the allegations and said it had lodged “stern representations with the US”. It demanded the US stop slandering China over cyber security and urged the charges against the two men be dropped.