Chinese department of defense on Thursday expressed a protest to the American side in connection with the charge of cyber theft to four citizens of the country, who are considered PLA military personnel, the statement said.
“Such actions by the American side have no factual basis, this is fully an act of hegemony and judicial persecution, China in this regard expresses strong protest and condemnation”, – the statement to the defense department says.
It is stated that “China is an unwavering advocate of international cybersecurity, the Chinese government has always strongly opposed and opposes all forms of cybercrime in accordance with the law, and the Chinese army has never participated in cyber theft of confidential information”.
The statement emphasizes that for a long time, the US government and relevant authorities, in violation of international law and basic norms of international relations, carried out large-scale, organized and indiscriminate cyber thefts, espionage and surveillance against foreign governments, enterprises and individuals.
It is indicated that the United States has still not given an explanation to the international community regarding incidents with WikiLeaks and the Edward Snowden case.
“The United States is actively resorting to double standards in matters of cybersecurity, their actions are hypocritical. We demand that the United States immediately correct its mistakes, withdraw the charges, so as not to cause further damage to the relations between the two countries and their armed forces”, – the department said.
Earlier, the US Attorney General William Barr indicted four Chinese hackers, who in Washington are considered PLA troops, in connection with the hacking of Equifax credit bureaus computers and identity theft. According to the prosecutor general, the crime was committed in 2017 and is one of the largest data leaks in history. The US Department of Justice said the nine-point indictment was passed by a large federal jury in Atlanta last week.