Beijing on cyber-attack, East China Sea tension

Chinese officials on Wednesday said allegations country played a part in a cyberattack on Vatican diocese in Hong Kong was "groundless speculation".

"China is a staunch defender of cybersecurity. We firmly oppose and fight all forms of cyber-attacks and fts," said Wang Wenbin, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.

hack was first reported by a digital monitoring group called Recorded Future which alleges that hackers supported by China spre malware and accessed church offices in Hong Kong and Vatican servers.

Vatican and China are scheduled to hold talks in September to negotiate how world's largest faith organization will cooperate with world's most populous nation.

Under leership of Xi Jinping, chairman of ruling Communist Party, China has in recent years cracked down on faith groups in an effort to "Sinicize religion" and insisted on appointing bishops in contrast to Catholic trition. two sides h come to a provisional agreement in 2018.

China also criticized a new agreement between US and Australia to strengn ties and defend its claims to an island controlled by Japan.

Nearly three months of daily Chinese naval patrols of Senkaku Island, called Diaoyu Island by China, has rattled Tokyo.

Japan's government has said that China is pushing harder to make territorial claims in regional seas and even using coronavirus pandemic to expand its influence and take strategic superiority, posing a greater threat to Japan and region.

(Representative Im)