China said on Monday (December 22) that it opposed all forms of cyber attacks but there was no proof yet that North Korea was responsible for the hacking of Sony Pictures, as charged by the United States.
It also made no reference to any joint action with the United States or other nations to counter any similar cyberattacks.
“We resolutely oppose all forms of cyberattacks and cyber terrorism. Meanwhile, we also oppose any country or individual using other countries’ domestic facilities to conduct cyberattacks on third-party nations. You bought up many times that the U.S. side has determined that North Korea used Chinese facilities to carry out the relevant cyber attack. I think that before making any conclusions there has to be a full (accounting of) the facts and foundations. China will handle it in accordance with relevant international and Chinese laws according to the facts,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference in Beijing.
She added Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi “reaffirmed China’s relevant position” in a conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday (December 21).
China is North Korea’s only major ally, and would be central to any U.S. efforts to crack down on the isolated state. But the United States has also accused China of cyber spying in the past and a U.S. official has said the attack on Sony could have used Chinese servers to mask its origin.
U.S. President Barack Obama and his advisers are weighing how to punish North Korea after the FBI concluded on Friday (December 19) that Pyongyang was responsible for the attack onSony.
It was the first time the United States had directly accused another country of a cyberattack of such magnitude on American soil and set up the possibility of a new confrontation between Washington and Pyongyang.
North Korea has denied it was to blame and has vowed to hit back against any U.S. retaliation.
The hack attack and subsequent threats of violence against theaters prompted Sony to withdraw the comedy, “The Interview,” which was about assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and had been due for release during the holiday season.
Reuters
