Spokeswoman dismisses US Treasury Department's hacker allegation

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning dismissed the U.S. Treasure Department's claim that its systems had been attacked by hackers supported by China as "unwarranted and groundless allegations" at a the last press briefing of the year in Beijing on Tuesday.

She made the remarks in response to a media query about the U.S. Treasury Department's statement on Monday that it was subject to a cyberattack by a China state-sponsored actor earlier in December.

"On this kind of unwarranted and groundless allegations, we've made clear our position more than once. China opposes all forms of hacking, and in particular, we oppose spreading China-related disinformation motivated by political agenda," she said.

Spokeswoman dismisses US Treasury Department's hacker allegation

Spokeswoman dismisses US Treasury Department's hacker allegation

Spokeswoman dismisses US Treasury Department's hacker allegation

Spokeswoman dismisses US Treasury Department's hacker allegation

Spokeswoman dismisses US Treasury Department's hacker allegation

Two major Qatari energy facilities shut down operations after being damaged during Iran's strikes targeting the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said on Tuesday, adding that the situation had been contained.

QatarEnergy announced on Monday that it had suspended liquefied natural gas (LNG) production following attacks on two of its energy facilities, and on Tuesday said it was suspending production of downstream natural gas products such as urea and methanol.

The shutdown sent gas prices skyrocketing on global energy markets, provoking fears of an energy crisis sparked by the conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking during his weekly press conference, Al-Ansari said that the decision to shut down the facilities was taken as a precaution, to ensure the safety of personnel and infrastructure after the strike damaged key production and processing sites.

"The damage was contained and now the operations to assess, technically, the safety of the facilities is underway. And from the defensive posture, as you have seen, we have been ready in monitoring and dealing with all of these attacks," he said.

Al-Ansari said that Qatar is committed to de-escalating the situation, and added that Qatar had not had any contact with Iran since Feb 28.

"Qatar's diplomatic stance has always been firm and clear: committed to peace, actively promoting de-escalation, advocating dialogue and consultation, and striving to resolve the conflict peacefully," he said.

Major Qatari energy facilities damaged in Iranian strikes: foreign ministry