On July 14, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian presided over a regular press conference. A journalist from AFP asked whether last week, the Paraguayan Ministry of Information and Communications and the U.S. embassy in Paraguay issued a joint statement accusing China of carrying out malicious cyber operations against the Paraguayan government. Yesterday, a Paraguayan official stated that they had sufficient evidence to support these accusations. What is China's comment on this?
Lin Jian stated that China has always opposed hacking activities in accordance with the law, and also opposes the dissemination of false information about network security for political purposes.
Lin Jian pointed out that the United States has been carrying out systematic cyberattacks against the world for a long time. At the same time, for political and geopolitical reasons, the United States has repeatedly used network security as an excuse to manipulate regional countries and spread false information about China. China is strongly dissatisfied with this and firmly opposes it. We also advise relevant countries not to become political tools and not to act as accomplices in spreading false information about China's cyberattacks for the U.S. government.
According to the website of the Chinese Consulate General in São Paulo, Brazil, on July 11, recently, the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications of Paraguay issued a joint statement with the US embassy in Paraguay, falsely claiming that China had carried out malicious online actions against the Paraguayan government. The Chinese side expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this claim, and hereby makes the following solemn declaration:
China has repeatedly stated that, as the biggest victim of cyber attacks, China has always opposed cyber attacks and cyber crimes in accordance with the law. It also firmly opposes the dissemination of false information for political purposes. The actions of the Pakistani side and the US side, which make unfounded conclusions without any valid evidence, and use cybersecurity issues to slander China, are extremely irresponsible and simply serve to confuse right and wrong.
The United States is the originator and accomplisher of cyberattacks. For a long time, the U.S. government and relevant departments have violated international law and basic norms of international relations, carrying out large-scale, organized, and indiscriminate cyber surveillance and spying on governments, businesses, and individuals in many countries, including China. This is a fact well-known to everyone. Cybersecurity is a global challenge. China urges the U.S. to adopt a responsible attitude, reflect more on its own actions, and avoid spreading false accusations and slander against certain groups. At the same time, China advises the Pakistanis not to use cybersecurity issues as a political tool.
China Consulate General in São Paulo, Brazil website
As early as 2024, the United States Embassy in Paraguay published a joint review with Paraguay’s Ministry of Information Technology and Communications, claiming that the so-called “Linen Typhoon” hacking group was engaged in “intrusion” activities in Paraguay. The review also characterized the group as being “associated with China”.
On July 10th this year, the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications of Paraguay once again worked with the US embassy in Paraguay, claiming that their system had been attacked by external forces. Without specifying which systems were attacked, they made unfounded accusations against China, which is simply spreading rumors and causing trouble.
