Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that "Chinese-state sponsored hackers penetrated the executive branch of the Philippines government and stole sensitive data," as always, according to three anonymous people "familiar with the matter." The report highlighted that "the stolen data included military documents, some of which are related to the China and Philippines' ongoing territorial dispute over the South China Sea."

On Wednesday, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines opposed the "unjustified labeling, groundless accusations, or smears campaign". "It is worth noting that the report links the hacking to the South China Sea issue and mentions that the United States and others have provided technical support and technology to the Philippines. Who is the mastermind behind this hype farce and who is using cyber issues to stir up the regional situation and seek geopolitical interests? The answer is self-evident," Chinese embassy said. 

The US often relies on spreading misinformation or repeating misleading narratives in the hope that "a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth." 

The US has developed a formulaic approach to smear China on cyberattack topics: no technical details, no investigative reports, and no credible evidence. According to Bloomberg, anonymous sources claimed that in the attack, "the hackers used stolen usernames and passwords to access computer networks, install malware, and delete evidence of their presence." This raises critical questions: Can the US provide the associated IP addresses of the hackers, explain how the usernames and passwords were stolen, or identify the type of malware used? None of these crucial details are mentioned in the report. Instead, vague and elusive descriptions are presented as though they constitute the "truth." 

Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Studies at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, told the Global Times that the so-called hacking incident is fundamentally no different from previous US propaganda. It is merely another US' cognitive warfare strategy and part of the US-Philippines "gray zone" tactics in the South China Sea.

Yang Xiao, deputy director of the Institute of Maritime Strategy Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said the US has been focusing on the issue of China's alleged cyberattacks primarily to serve its broader anti-China agenda. Now, in order to maintain the momentum of the hype, the US has linked the so-called hacking incident to the South China Sea, aimed at further stoking tensions in the South China Sea and pulling the Philippines deeper into the confrontation.

Cyberattacks are becoming a stereotyped tool for the US as well as its allies to target China. 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 group, according to the Associated Press. Obviously, Japan is playing a supporting role in the US-style political farces. 

However, the US is the real "expert" in global cyberattacks. Edward Snowden, the whistleblower of the "Prism" scandal, revealed in 2014 that the Philippines is among the countries being secretly monitored by a telecommunications spying program of the US National Security Agency. 

China is a victim of cyberattacks, not a perpetrator. While the US will likely continue this smear campaign, the international community will see more clearly its ugly double standards and disinformation drive, and it will not disrupt China's progress or development and but will strengthen China's determination to safeguard national security and territorial sovereignty.