China dismisses Trump’s cyberattack accusations as 'farce, politically-motivated'

China has dismissed as a “farce” and “politically-motivated” accusation by US President Donald Trump that Beijing has been involved in a massive cyberattack in the United States.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made the comments at a daily press briefing in the capital Beijing on Monday, after Trump pointed that China may have been the source of the widespread cyberattack on the government’s military, intelligence and financial institutions.

Wang said Trump's remarks are not serious and are "self-contradictory," adding that Washington’s accusations against Beijing have "always been a farce, out of political motives.”

"The US has politicized cybersecurity issues, continuously spread false information without conclusive evidence... in an attempt to destroy China's image and mislead the international community," he said.

In a Twitter post on Saturday, Trump downplayed a massive cyberattack on US government agencies, declaring it "under control" and undercutting the assessment by his own administration that Russia was to blame.

He also declared that Beijing "may" have been involved, without providing any evidence.   

Trump’s remarks contradicted earlier statements by his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and several US lawmakers briefed on the issue.

As of Friday, agencies, including the Department of Energy and its National Nuclear Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and the Treasury Department, had been breached as part of the alleged espionage operation.

MG