China: US Should Stop ‘Slandering’ It Under Cybersecurity ‘Pretext’

China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry blasted Tuesday’s indictment of two Chinese nationals on charges of running a decade-long hacking campaign targeting intellectual property and confidential business information, including on COVID-19 research. The Chinese government is a “staunch defender of cybersecurity,” said a ministry spokesperson Wednesday. “We urge the U.S. to immediately stop slandering China under the pretext of cybersecurity.” Citing unspecified reports U.S. hackers are expanding their scope of cybertheft under Trump administration authorization, the spokesperson said: “The U.S. accusing other countries of cyberattacks is like a thief crying, ‘Stop the thief.’”