US Practices 'Thief Crying Stop Thief,' Says Chinese FM on Indictment of 12 Chinese Nationals Over Alleged Cyberattacks

China has rejected the groundless US accusations of alleged cyberattacks and urged the US to immediately stop its wrongdoing of abusing sanctions, according to a statement made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. The comments were made at a daily press briefing on Thursday in response to reports that the US Justice Department had indicted 12 Chinese nationals, including two officials, for a series of hacking attacks.

The indictment alleges that the individuals are involved in a "global hacking campaign" targeting US-based dissidents, news organizations, government agencies, and a large religious organization. The move has been met with skepticism by the Chinese government, which claims that the US is trying to shift blame onto China for its own alleged cyberattacks.

"The US practice reflects hypocritical double standards and is a typical move of 'thief-crying-stop-thief'," Lin said. He also pointed out that in December 2024, the Chinese cybersecurity agency exposed two latest cases of cyberattacks against Chinese high-tech companies from the US intelligence community.

Li Yan, director of Institute of Technology and Cybersecurity at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that "the US has been distorting right and wrong, portraying itself as a victim in an attempt to achieve its goal of confronting and suppressing China." He also claimed that the true picture is that the US has masterminded cyberattacks for a long time and persistently engages in cyberattacks and hacking activities worldwide.

National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team Center of China (known as CNCERT) released two investigative reports in last December, exposing two recent cyberattacks by US intelligence agencies targeting major Chinese technology firms to steal trade secrets. In one case, the reports revealed that since August 2024, an advanced materials research institute in China has reportedly been targeted by cyberattacks suspected to be orchestrated by US intelligence agencies.

Additionally, a large high-tech enterprise specializing in smart energy and digital information has reportedly been under similar attacks since May 2023. These findings have further fueled the Chinese government's skepticism towards US claims of Chinese-linked cyberattacks.

In January, Wang Lei, the coordinator for cyber and digital affairs at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview with the Global Times that the Chinese side has firmly rejected US accusations of Chinese-linked cyberattacks, citing the lack of substantive evidence. He also warned that the US repeatedly hyped claims about so-called China-linked hacker groups, such as "Volt Typhoon" and "Salt Typhoon," while fabricating narratives around the so-called China cyber threat.

"It should not assume that being loud means one is right. It is not feasible to unilaterally set rules for other countries based on a so-called position of strength," Wang stressed.