US committing large-scale 'cyber theft' against Japan and other Asian nations, says China

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has accused the US government of engaging in significant "cyber theft" targeting Japan and various Asian nations. The ministry has called on Washington to cease its worldwide deployment of "cyber forces", reported Russia Today.

Addressing the matter on Thursday, the ministry stated that US military and intelligence entities have established hacking capabilities within allied countries, ostensibly under the banner of "capacity-building cooperation." However, these capabilities have been leveraged to "infiltrate these countries’ cyber systems” instead.

Washington has carried out “large-scale, systematic and indiscriminate cyber theft against other countries in the world,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, adding that the US Pentagon was seeking to use Beijing’s neighbours as a “springboard for the US government's cyber attacks against China without their knowledge.”

Continuing, the spokesperson referenced a 2015 WikiLeaks release that drew from leaked intelligence records. This disclosure unveiled that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had focused its efforts on 35 Japan-based individuals and entities, encompassing high-ranking government figures and prominent corporations such as Mitsubishi. The incident sparked controversy, leading to then-Vice President Joe Biden subsequently issuing an apology to Tokyo officials.

China hacked Japanese military networks: Report

The ministry's declaration comes in the wake of a recent article published in the Washington Post earlier this week. The US levelled accusations against the Chinese military, asserting that they had engaged in hacking activities targeting Japan's "sensitive defense networks" during the autumn of 2020. This previously undisclosed incident was narrated by a number of unnamed former US officials who labeled the purported cyber assault as one of the most impactful breaches in Japan's history.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, did not comment on the matter and said, “we haven’t confirmed the fact that security information has been leaked due to cyber attacks," adding that cyber security was a major focus of US-Japanese cooperation.

While Beijing has refrained from directly addressing the accusations, an editorial piece released by China's state-affiliated news agency, the Global Times, characterised the recent claims as "another staged drama orchestrated by the US." The editorial suggested that the "true purpose" of the narrative was to tarnish China's reputation, escalate tensions within the region, and undermine the relationship with Japan.

In April, the Chinese government issued an assessment of purported cyber attacks carried out by the US government. The report alleged that American intelligence agencies have "been intruding on, dividing and suppressing foreign cybersecurity vendors" over the years. The report highlighted several significant hacking incidents, including the 2010 utilization of the Stuxnet virus—a joint creation of the US and Israel—to target Iranian nuclear facilities. The report also spotlighted the widespread surveillance program conducted by the US National Security Agency (NSA).