A Pentagon report on Chinese military activities released yesterday claims “numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the U.S. government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military.”

Col. Wang Xinjun, an academic spokesperson for the Chinese Government, has responded to the claims, saying “the Chinese government and armed forces have never sanctioned hacking activities” and the American allegations are “irresponsible and harmful to the mutual trust between the sides.”

Following a report from cyber-security company Mandiant In February this year, China also denied claims that they were responsible for cyberattacks against U.S. firms, blaming American hackers instead. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said “we can only say they originated in the U.S... [that is] entirely different from media reports that the Chinese government or the Chinese military are responsible.”

Earlier this year, several major U.S. media outlets including The Wall Street Journal and New York Times were alleged to have been victims of cyberattacks from Chinese hackers. The Wall Street Journal reported that “Chinese hackers believed to have government links have been conducting wide-ranging electronic surveillance of media companies... apparently to spy on reporters covering China and other issues.”

International hacking attempts against major firms are becoming more common. Media outlets have also been attacked by the Syrian Electronic Army - a group supporting the Syrian government - who have within the last month gained access to the social network accounts of The Guardian, Associated Press and others.