China has dismissed accusations by the United States, Britain and New Zealand that it was behind cyberattacks in those countries.

"China firmly opposes this, has made strong demarches with the United States and relevant parties," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

He added that China will take necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

The Chinese embassies in Washington, London and Wellington also issued denials to claims by the US, Britain and New Zealand.

"We have firmly fought and stopped all kinds of malicious cyber activities in accordance with the law, and have never encouraged, supported or condoned cyberattacks," a statement by the Chinese embassy in London said.

"The UK falsely accused China of attempting to interfere with UK democracy. This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. This is also a typical example of a thief crying 'catch thief'."

The Chinese embassy in New Zealand accused Wellington of "completely barking up the wrong tree".

"As a matter of fact, China is a major victim of cyberattacks," the embassy said.

Earlier, the US Justice Department charged seven Chinese nationals over what it said was a 14-year "prolific global hacking operation" designed to aid China's "economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives." Washington said a unit, dubbed APT31, was behind the attacks.

London said that from 2021-2022 the same APT31 group had targeted UK lawmakers' accounts, including many who were critical of Beijing's policies, and New Zealand said its Parliamentary Counsel Office, which drafts and publishes laws, had been compromised around the same period. (Reporting by Xinhua/AFP)
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Last updated: 2024-03-26 HKT 16:54