China has denied its involvement in the cyberattacks on the Philippine government websites, which were believed to be operating in China, and hit the "irresponsible" report made by "some Filipino officials."
In a statement on Monday night, Feb. 5, the Chinese Embassy in Manila said the Chinese government "all along firmly opposes and cracks down on all forms of cyber attack in accordance with law."
It also "allows no country or individual to engage in cyber attack and other illegal activities on Chinese soil or using Chinese infrastructure," the embassy added.
The embassy's statement came after Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy disclosed that the agency discovered cyberattacks on the websites of the following agencies: the DICT itself, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), among others.
The private websites of President Marcos were also targeted, according to Dy.
"These are believed to be advanced threat groups that operate within the ambit of Chinese territories, Dy said at a news forum, "Their objective may be to gather information for years and strike when the time comes."
Such a development was widely reported by the Philippine media, which alarmed the country's lawmakers.
The Chinese embassy claimed that "some Filipino officials and media maliciously speculated about and groundlessly accused China of engaging in cyber attacks against the Philippines."
They also "went as far as connecting these cyber attacks with the South China Sea disputes," the embassy added.
"Such remarks are highly irresponsible," it said.
China believes that cybersecurity is a global challenge, which "requires collective response from the international community."
It then called "on all countries to jointly safeguard cybersecurity through dialogue and cooperation."