The Chinese Foreign Ministry pushed back against claims by the Philippines government that hackers in China attempted to break into Manila’s most sensitive computer networks.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin condemned the accusation on Wednesday and echoed earlier remarks by the Chinese embassy in Manila that called the claims “baseless and unfounded.”
This latest rift between the two countries started on Monday when the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Manila alleged Chinese intruders had tried to penetrate the ministry’s networks along with the personal website of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., among other targets.
A spokesperson for the ICT ministry said those attacks came from China.
Now, the Chinese Communist Party-run media is publicizing new allegations that Chinese networks were the targets of “thousands of cyberattacks in 2023 with their IP addresses traced to the Philippines.”
At this point, there’s no way to independently verify either of the countries’ claims.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? The mutual accusations of cyber-intrusions marks a significant escalation in the conflict from centering on a few disputed shoals in the South China Sea to now involving a much larger digital space.
SUGGESTED READING:
- Global Times: Thousands of cyberattacks against China detected in 2023 with their IP addresses being traced to the Philippines: Chinese cyber security company by Guo Yuandan and Du Qiongfang
- Bloomberg: Philippines Turns to Hackers for Help as US Warns of China Cyber Threat by Cliff Harvey Venzon and Ditas B Lopez
