Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry

"Isn't this a typical double standard?" Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian asked at a scheduled press conference on Tuesday, responding to news that the Five Eyes alliance, along with government representatives from India and Japan, had demanded tech companies insert "backdoors" in encrypted apps to allow law enforcement agencies the access.

Zhao said that member states of the Five Eyes alliance have been baselessly accusing Chinese companies of setting up "backdoors" in their products for a long time; reportedly threatening supply chain security and personal privacy.

"Now, the Five Eyes Alliance is unscrupulously requiring companies to set up "backdoors" in encrypted apps. Isn't this a typical double standard?" Zhao asked, noting that it fully exposed the hypocrisy of the countries involved, and once again proved that their actions were politically motivated, revealing the real reason for their suppression of other countries' enterprises.

The Five Eyes Alliance, the world's largest intelligence organization, now publicly requires telecoms companies to install "backdoors" in their products as an excuse for combating cybercrimes. Whether their real purpose is to police criminality or to collect intelligence is a question that needs to be answered by them, Zhao said.

Zhao also warned that the international community should be vigilant about the true intentions of the Five Eyes Alliance, since one of the five - the US - has already implemented large-scale and undifferentiated network surveillance on a global scale.

Zhao added that China recently proposed a global data security initiative, calling on information companies not to install "backdoors" in products and services. "If countries require cross-border access to data for law enforcement - such as for combating cybercrime - it should be resolved through judicial assistance or other relevant bilateral or multilateral agreements. 

Zhao said China was calling on all parties to support the global data security initiative, jointly promote the formulation of global rules for data security, and maintaining network security.