China urges global efforts to tackle ‘biggest’ cybersecurity threat posed by the US

Photo/ Ministry of Foreign Affairs

China's Foreign Ministry on Monday called on the international community to jointly expose and reject the US' effort to jeopardize global cybersecurity and undermine international rules, calling the US "the biggest threat to global cybersecurity."

At a regular press briefing in Beijing, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the ministry, highlighted the US' well-documented track record of stealing information and data around the world, while cracking down on other countries' companies under the banner of "protecting cybersecurity."

Wang's comment came after Microsoft Vice President Tom Burt said during a hearing at the US Congress on June 30 that in the past five years, US law enforcement agencies issued 2,400 to 3,500 confidentiality orders annually to the company to gain access to its user data without effective supervision by US courts.

Asked about Burt's testimony, Wang said that time and again, it has been demonstrated that it is the US itself that forces companies to open "back doors" and illegally obtain user data.

"The US is in fact the biggest threat to global cybersecurity," Wang said, adding that for a long time, the US has used its technological prowess to spy on its own people and people around the world, steal all kinds of data, and infringe on all kinds of privacy.

After the 911 terror attack, the US' Patriot Act required US internet companies to provide user information on a regular basis, drawing attention from countries around the world.

In December, France's National Commission on Informatics and Liberty said that the French sites of Google and Amazon stored users' information without their prior permission and without specifying its use. Also, Ireland earlier asked Facebook to stop transferring EU user data to the US.

From the Snowden incident nearly a decade ago to the recent revelation that the US was spying on senior officials of its "allies" through undersea cables, it has been repeatedly shown that the US itself is a world renowned thief of secrets, said Wang.

Meanwhile, the US is cracking down on other countries' companies in the name of "protecting cybersecurity," which fully exposes the US' real intention to suppress competitors and preserve its internet hegemony, he added.

"We urge the international community to jointly expose and resist the US' actions that undermine global cybersecurity and international rules," Wang said.