Chinese FM urges NATO to stop creating imagined enemies

(ECNS) -- We urge NATO to stop groundlessly accusing China, stop creating imagined enemies and pushing the boundaries and act in the interest of world peace and stability, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin at a regular press conference on Tuesday.

Wang made the remarks in resonse to a question raised at the press conference that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the unidentified balloons above the U.S. is a sign of Russia and China ramping up their intelligence activities against NATO countries.

We have made our position clear on the unintended entry of the unmanned Chinese civilian airship into U.S. airspace, which was an unexpected and isolated event. NATO's remarks are nothing but nefarious speculation against China, Wang said.

Speaking of surveillance, the U.S. is no doubt the number one country in the world, and Europe and many other countries can certainly tell from their own experience, said the spokesperson. 

He cited a Danish media report as saying that the U.S. National Security Agency, while partnering with Denmark's foreign intelligence unit, spied on leaders of Germany, Sweden, Norway and France, including former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Since 1970s, the CIA has secretly rigged Crypto AG, a Swiss manufacturer of encryption machines to eavesdrop on countries around the globe.

He pointed out that the rigged encryption devices sold to over 120 countries were in fact used by CIA to eavesdrop on secret communications.

According to a report released by the Beijing-based Qi An Pangu lab, Equation, the hacking group under the NSA, has been creating a top-of-the-line backdoor and conducting a decade-long cyber attack operation called “Telescreen” against 45 countries and regions, including China, Russia, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. The operation covers communications, research institutions, and economic and military sectors.

According to POLITICO, the Pentagon has spent billions of dollars in developing high-altitude reconnaissance balloons since 1997. The Pentagon quietly transitioned the balloon projects to the military services in 2022, which may be used to track hypersonic strategic cruise missiles being developed by China and Russia.

Wang said he hopes journalists should find out how many more secrets are there behind these U.S. eavesdropping and spying activities.