Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun

China firmly opposes and fights all forms of hacker attacks in accordance with law, and opposes politicizing cybersecurity issues, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Thursday, in response to reports that Japan's National Police Agency claimed a Chinese hacking group launched more than 200 cyberattacks on Japanese enterprises, institutions, and organizations. 

Japan on Wednesday linked more than 200 cyberattacks over the past five years targeting the country's national security and high technology data to a Chinese hacking group, MirrorFace, detailing their tactics and calling on government agencies and businesses to reinforce preventive measures, according to the Associated Press. 

The National Police Agency said its analysis on the targets, methods and infrastructure of the cyberattacks by MirrorFace from 2019 to 2024 concluded they were systematic attacks linked to China with an aim of stealing data on Japanese national security and advanced technology, said the AP report.  

"As many can see, the virtuality of cyberspace makes it difficult to trace the source of actions, and the actors in cyberspace are diverse. It is neither professional nor responsible for relevant Japanese institutions to make judgments based solely on the targets and methods of the hacking attacks," said Guo. 

"We have noticed that some allies of the US have recently started to assist the US in spreading disinformation about China. We hope that all parties will approach cybersecurity issues on the basis of facts, guided by international rules, and with objectivity, fairness, and professionalism rather than playing supporting roles in political stunts," Guo added. 

Hacker attacks are difficult to trace, and many countries have faced similar incidents. Accusing China without evidence is an irresponsible act that could harm bilateral relations, Lü Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula issue at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times. 

Japanese media NHK said in a report on Wednesday that "Police in Japan and the government's cybersecurity center have warned that a group "suspected" to be linked to China is carrying out cyberattacks on government offices and private firms." However, it is noticeable that some Western media, building on claims from Japan, removed the word "suspected" and directly linked the cyberattacks to China. 

Japanese side's accusation came amid the recent thawing momentum of Beijing-Tokyo ties. 

According to a Japan Times report, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed an eagerness to visit China as soon as possible during a meeting with the secretaries-general of the ruling parties on Thursday.

The Japanese media outlet said that from January 13 to 15, a delegation from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, will visit China for talks with the Communist Party of China. Ishiba told the delegation that he hopes Japan and China will continue dialogue at various levels.

Xiang Haoyu, a research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Thursday that China and Japan have common channels and mechanisms on cyber security. If Japan has concerns, the two sides should sit down for technical discussions through those channels instead of hyping and politicizing the issue.