The Chinese government voiced concerns over the new U.S. strategy against cyberattacks, which singles out China as a threat and enables the U.S. to retaliate accordingly with cyber weapons.
Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng denies the 33-page security report.
"We are following the new U.S. cybersecurity strategy and [sic] concerned about it. The report makes groundless accusations about China, and we resolutely oppose it," Yansheng said.
The U.S. strategy lists China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as potential threats and enables the Pentagon to launch cyberattacks to retaliate as necessary.
Following highly publicized hacks to Sony and the revelations about the NSA's spy practices by whistle-blower John Snowden, the public has trained a keen eye on the U.S. government's cybersecurity practices.
The Pentagon plans to have a force of 6,200 people defending U.S. networks and launching cyber offensives in a bid to reassure their citizens against theft of personal data and catastrophic attacks.
The U.S. has often accused China of cyberattacks, and the Chinese government is always quick to deny these charges. Geng expressed that China has always been victim to cyberattacks and that the Chinese government opposes hacking in any form, and that this new strategy threatens to further worsen tensions around cybersecurity.
"This will further exacerbate contradictions and up the ante on the Internet arms race. We are concerned and worried about this," Yansheng continued.
This comes amid sentiment from the U.S. questioning China's plans to commemorate the end of the Second World War with a military parade in September. Yansheng defended China's plans, saying this is congruent with practices around the world celebrating victory.
On the other hand, Yansheng criticized the joint U.S.-Philippine drills in the South China Sea.
"In the present situation, with the holding of such large-scale drills, we have to ask, who is it really who is creating regional tensions, and who is it really threatening regional peace and stability?" Yansheng said.