China urges Britain to immediately rectify its wrongdoings and revoke the sanctions against two Chinese companies, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
Guo made the statement in response to a media query on the recent sanctions imposed by the British side.
On Tuesday, the British government announced sanctions against two Chinese companies, alleging that they carried out cyberattacks against Britain and its allies, and that their actions were linked to the Chinese government.
"China firmly opposes and combats hacking activities in accordance with the law, and is also resolutely against politically-motivated spread of disinformation. China strongly deplores and firmly opposes Britain's practice of politicizing cybersecurity issues and has lodged serious protests to Britain both in Beijing and London," Guo said.
"China is the biggest victim of cyberattacks. Not long ago, China disclosed information regarding the infiltration and cyberattacks by the U.S. National Security Agency against China's National Time Service Center. It is worth noting that Britain has served as one of the launchpads used by the United States to carry out such cyberattacks against China. China has already provided relevant information to Britain. We expect that Britain, as a member of both the Five Eyes Alliance and NATO, will clarify the role it played in the U.S.-led cyberattacks targeting China's critical information infrastructure," Guo said.
"Cybersecurity is a common global challenge. We urge Britain to immediately correct its wrongdoings, abandon its double standard and political scheming, and work with China in a truly responsible and constructive manner to jointly uphold peace, stability, and prosperity in cyberspace," Guo added.
China urges Britain to immediately rectify its wrongdoing, revoke sanctions against two Chinese companies
