China's computer network authority has detailed a cyberattack by the United States targeting a major Chinese tech enterprise. This comes one month after China announced the discovery of two cyberattacks by the U.S. which focused on leaking trade secrets. Zhou Jiaxin has more.

Chinese authorities say the hacking took place during the second half of 2024. They describe how attackers gained unauthorized access to key information, and logged into the backend of the compromised system.

Trojan infections spread. Some critical commercial information and intellectual property files were stolen. While responding to these espionage incidents traced to the United States, Beijing has refuted Washington's allegation of "a broad and significant" campaign carried out by hackers linked to China, dubbed "Salt Typhoon," that targeted multiple American telecommunications companies. China dismissed those accusations as hype.

PROF. ZUO XIAODONG Cyber Security Expert University of Science and Technology of China "Tracing cyberattacks is a major tech issue, yet there is no unified standard and consensus. But the fact is that U.S. intelligence agencies have long engaged in mass surveillance of the American people under U.S. laws such as the Patriot Act. The alleged hacking turns out to be American intelligence agencies requesting telecommunications companies to plant backdoor, but the monitoring data was leaked."

This type of false narrative by the U.S. wasn't a first. A series of reports by Chinese cybersecurity agencies last year also outlined similar U.S. accusations about a "Volt Typhoon" Chinese campaign, dismissed by the investigation as a political farce. The reports concluded the cyber espionage operations targeting China and other countries were launched by the U.S. government, intelligence agencies and Five Eyes countries.

Authorities determined the U.S. carried out a false flag operation to smear other countries, opposing spreading China-related disinformation out of political agenda

PROF. ZUO XIAODONG Cyber Security Expert University of Science and Technology of China "What the U.S. is essentially doing is to diversify China threat theory with cyber threat and hype up red scare, so as to isolate and encircle China. Everything the U.S. suspects others of doing is what itself has done and is doing."

Beijing has raised concerns with Washington over its long-term, systematic and large-scale cyberattacks against China's "critical infrastructure" such as telecommunications and transportation.

ZHOU JIAXIN Beijing "Cybersecurity has long been an issue between China and the United States. So, what kind of relationship should the two digital powers establish? And what common rules should be put in place for them to interact, and get along in cyberspace? This is what both sides, especially the incoming U.S. administration, should think about. Zhou Jiaxin, CGTN, Beijing."