Taiwan denies involvement in cyberattacks on China

​​​​​​​By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - Taiwan on Thursday rejected accusations from China that its military was responsible for a cyberattack on a tech company in Guangzhou, after authorities issued arrest warrants for 20 suspects, according to Focus Taiwan.

Guangzhou's police said the suspects are allegedly part of Taiwan’s Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM).

Chinese officials said they were responsible for a May 20 cyberattack that targeted the backend system of a company’s self-service facility.

The warrants alleged that ICEFCOM orchestrated the illegal cyber activity and is involved in criminal acts.

A reward of 10,000 yuan ($1,390) was offered for each of the 20 individuals, whose national ID numbers were also disclosed.

Earlier reports, including from China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency on May 27, referred to the attackers as “hackers.”

In response, ICEFCOM rejected the accusations as baseless and defamatory.

It said the allegations made May 20 and 27 were amplified by Chinese state media and repeated by the Taiwan Affairs Office.

ICEFCOM claimed that the move was part of a larger propaganda effort to “unsettle and intimidate” the Taiwanese public.

China considers Taiwan as its breakaway province, whereas the island insists on its independence.