Smearing China cannot help remove US label as empire of hacking: Beijing

Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defence, made the remarks while responding to a media query concerning the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment released by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The United States often accuses others of actions it itself has taken or is currently engaged in, Zhang said, adding that it is not only the main source of cyberattacks against China but also a well-known global cyber threat.

He said the United States has a poor record on cyber issues, citing WikiLeaks, Snowden, Stellar Wind, and Telescreen as examples.

The United States would stop at nothing to conduct surveillance, steal secrets and attack others, Zhang said.

"Smearing China cannot help remove the US label as the empire of hacking," he said, urging the US side to stop acting like a thief crying "stop thief," refrain from launching cyberattacks against other countries, including China, and restore a clean and secure cyberspace with responsible words and actions, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Chinese defence spokesperson also said that "wanton use of force will not make America great again" in response to reports that the US defence budget for fiscal year 2026 will reach a record 1 trillion US dollars.

Zhang said such act would only inflict painful disasters upon the people of the United States and the rest of the world.

The sky-high defence budget exposed once again the bellicose nature of the US side and its belief in "might makes right," he said.

Zhang noted that the US government is in heavy debt, yet it keeps pouring ill-gotten wealth exploited from other countries into manufacturing weapons.

He urged the US side to break away from the obsession with hegemony at an early date and recognise that wanton use of force will not make America great again.