The United States Justice Department on Tuesday accused two Chinese hackers of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars of trade secrets from companies across the world. The hackers, who have been indicted by the US, allegedly targeted firms developing a vaccine for the coronavirus. According to the indictment, as reported in media, hackers in recent months had researched vulnerabilities in the computer networks of companies publicly known for their work in developing vaccines and treatments.
The US levelled charges of trade secret theft and wire fraud conspiracy against the hackers, who federal prosecutors say stole information that they knew would be of interest to the Chinese government.
China had reacted strongly against accusations, saying they weren't seeking to confront or replace the United States as the world's top technological power, but "will fight back against malicious slander" and attacks from Washington, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Friday.
Hua Chunying said China's chief concern is improving the livelihoods of its citizens and maintaining global peace and stability. "As an independent sovereign state, China has the right to safeguard its own sovereignty, security and development interests, to defend the achievements made by the Chinese people with hard work, to refuse any bullying and injustice against China, and to fight back against malicious slander and attacks by the U.S. against China," Hua said at a daily briefing.
The comments came in response to a speech by U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who accused hackers linked to the Chinese government of targeting American universities and businesses to steal research related to coronavirus vaccine development, leveling the allegation against Beijing hours after Western agencies made similar claims against Russia.
