China's Top Cyber Diplomat Pushes Back Against U.S. Cyberattack Accusations: Meet Your Own Standards Before Demanding from Others
Recently, Wang Lei, the Coordinator for Cyber and Digital Affairs at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave an interview to the state-affiliated media platform "Yuyuantan Tian," where he discussed China’s stance on recent U.S.-China disputes over cyberattacks. Wang criticized the U.S. for ignoring China's concerns while making numerous demands of China without meeting those standards itself. He urged the U.S. to reflect on the kind of cyber relationship it should establish with China, the rules by which the two countries should interact, and how to jointly explore the right way to coexist in cyberspace.
Within the MOFA structure, the Cyber and Digital Affairs Coordinator role falls under the Department of Arms Control and manages the Cyber and Digital Affairs Office. Though the rank is not particularly high—somewhere between a division director and a deputy director-general—it plays a crucial role in shaping China's "cyber diplomacy" and in formulating China's policies and positions on global cyberspace governance at the working level. In international multilateral negotiations, Wang's counterpart is Christopher Painter, the U.S. State Department's Coordinator for Cyber Affairs.
Wang leads the Cyber and the Digital Affairs Office under MOFA. The office was established in June 2013 under the Department of Arms Control, tasked with overseeing "diplomatic activities related to cyber affairs," engaging in "constructive dialogue and cooperation on cybersecurity issues," and "formulating relevant international rules within the UN framework." It is also a very important player in making China’s stance in bilateral and global AI dialogues. Since cyberspace is not a traditional area of expertise for MOFA, the role of Cyber and Digital Affairs Coordinator requires someone knowledgeable about the technology and well-versed in diplomacy. Wang is precisely such an official.
Transcript of the interview
Question: U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has stated that the U.S. has sent a clear message to China about the potential consequences of destructive cyberattacks on U.S. critical infrastructure. What is China's response to this?
Answer: We have made it clear to the Biden administration that China rejects the U.S.’s baseless accusations against China regarding specific incidents without evidence. At the same time, we have also explicitly raised our concerns with the U.S.: China has discovered that the U.S. has conducted long-term, systematic, and large-scale cyberattacks against China. These include cyber-espionage activities and attacks that threaten the cybersecurity of China's critical infrastructure, including telecommunications, finance, and transportation sectors.
We have also informed the U.S. of China's categorization and criteria for critical infrastructure based on Chinese laws, demonstrating China's serious attitude toward protecting its critical infrastructure security. Moreover, we have emphasized to the U.S. that it must meet the same standards it demands of others. Simply put, please meet your own standards before demanding from others.
The key issue here is that the U.S. should pay attention to China’s concerns and not assume that being loud equates to being right. Unilaterally imposing rules on other nations under the guise of "operating from a position of strength" is not a viable approach.
Question: Cybersecurity has become a contentious issue in U.S.-China relations. How does China believe the two sides should address these differences, and how does China envision the future of U.S.-China cyber relations?
Answer: President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that two major nations like the U.S. and China cannot afford to ignore or disengage from each other, let alone engage in conflict or confrontation. Instead, they should strive for mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, progressing along a stable, healthy, and sustainable path. China is committed to this vision and seeks to build forward-looking U.S.-China cyber relations.
While the two sides have differences in the cyber domain, these can and should be discussed openly and based on facts and evidence, underpinned by mutual respect and common rules. More importantly, we need to take a broader and longer-term perspective and ask ourselves: What kind of cyber relationship should the U.S. and China establish? By what rules should we interact? Together, we should explore the right way to coexist in cyberspace.
The U.S. and China are the two most influential nations in the global cyber sphere and are also the two most deeply reliant on it. Both countries share similar concerns regarding their own cybersecurity, particularly the security of critical infrastructure. Safeguarding peace and stability in cyberspace not only serves the mutual interests of both sides but should also be their shared objective. We are willing to engage in dialogue with the U.S. to jointly construct a peaceful, stable, and mutually respectful U.S.-China cyber relationship.
We firmly believe that, regardless of changes in the U.S. administration, this approach remains the best long-term solution to addressing our shared concerns.