China has strongly denied a US congressional panel’s claim that Chinese government-linked hackers had launched dozens of cyberattacks on American defence contractors, saying the charges were "fabricated out of thin air".
The denial came a day after a Senate panel released a study finding that hackers had gained access to systems run by companies doing contract work for the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) at least 50 times between 2012 and 2013, potentially compromising military operations.
"Chinese law prohibits cyber-attacks and other crimes, and cracks down on such crimes," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said. "The Chinese government and military will never support hacker attacks." "The accusation against China is fabricated out of thin air, and is groundless," he added. "We urge the American side to stop its irresponsible accusations against China." The row is the latest cyber-security spat to roil US-China relations.