The US, UK, and New Zealand simultaneously accused China of cyber attacks, Beijing responded with "malicious slander".

On March 25, US, UK and New Zealand officials accused China of conducting extensive cyber attacks. Beijing voiced its opposition.

Mỹ, Anh, New Zealand đồng loạt cáo buộc Trung Quốc tấn công mạng, Bắc Kinh phản pháo là 'vu khống ác ý'

China is being accused by the West of backing cyber attacks. (Source: Sky News)

The UK's Sky News agency quoted the country's Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden as saying in the House of Commons that the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assessed that a Chinese state-affiliated cyber entity "is highly likely" to have carried out a complex attack on the Electoral Commission, including the accounts of MPs, during the 2021-2022 period.

The British government did not name the Chinese organization believed to be responsible for the incident.

In addition, Mr. Dowden also said the NCSC assessed with “almost certainty” that a hacker group nicknamed APT31, linked to the Chinese state, conducted espionage against British MPs in a separate campaign in 2021.

Britain and the United States have indicted APT31, listing a long list of its targets including White House staff, US senators, British lawmakers and government officials around the world who are critical of Beijing.

Defense contractors, dissidents, and security companies have also been targeted by cyberattacks.

In an indictment unsealed on March 25, US prosecutors said the cyberattack resulted in confirmed or threatened compromise of work accounts, personal emails, online storage and phone call records of millions of Americans.

The announcement comes as both the UK and the US imposed sanctions on Wuhan Xiaoruizhi Science and Technology, which is believed to be a front company for China's Ministry of State Security.

Meanwhile, according to AFP news agency, the New Zealand government said on the same day that a group of hackers "backed by the Chinese state" broke into the country's parliamentary system in a cyber attack in 2021, but was detected and eliminated by Wellington.

However, New Zealand's Nzherald website said that the country's government does not want to apply sanctions against China after the above cyber attack.

In response to the above allegations, Chinese representative agencies in the US and UK issued statements of protest.

The Chinese Embassy in the UK said the allegations were "completely baseless and malicious slander".

Chinese Embassy spokesman in the US Liu Bangyu accused that most of the cyber attacks were carried out by the US, which is why Washington is putting global critical infrastructure at risk.

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