UPDATE - China Says Unaware Of Case Against Its National Over Alleged Links To JAXA Cyberattacks

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th April, 2021) The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not aware of a lawsuit launched against a Chinese national in Japan over alleged involvement in large-scale cyberattacks against Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2016, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the NHK reported, citing investigative sources, that Japan's police suspected the Chinese armed forces of commissioning hacker attacks on 200 defense-related companies and research institutions, including JAXA. The police reportedly filed a case against a Chinese man � a computer engineer in his 30s and a member of the Chinese Communist Party � on suspicion of being involved in the attacks.

"I am not aware of the situation," the spokesman said at a briefing, commenting on the media reports.

The diplomat added that Beijing strongly opposed using cybersecurity issues as a means to implement "cynical political goals.

"

"China vehemently opposes any country or organization using cyberattacks as a pretext to slander China, or using the cybersecurity ensuring issue as a tool to serve cynical political goals," Wang said.

Beijing has repeatedly stated that it is necessary to rely on sufficient evidence, not on groundless assumptions, when investigating and profiling any incidents in cyberspace, the official recalled.

"China is ready to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with all parties to jointly respond to cybersecurity threats," Wang said, noting that hacker attacks are a global problem and every country encounters it.

The allegations come amid increased tensions between Japan and China over the latter's attempts to intensify its presence in East China and the South China sea � the waters claimed by both countries.