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Alibaba denies report it helps China’s military target US

Alibaba denies report it helps China’s military target US
A logo of Alibaba seen outside their offices in Beijing, China. (AFP)
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Updated 4 sec ago

Alibaba denies report it helps China’s military target US

Alibaba denies report it helps China’s military target US
  • The dispute highlights persisting suspicions between Beijing and Washington, which are locked in competition for technological superiority

BEIJING: Chinese tech giant Alibaba denies helping Beijing target the United States, telling AFP on Saturday that a recent media report was “completely false.”
The Financial Times reported early Saturday that Alibaba “provides tech support for Chinese military ‘operations’ against (US) targets,” according to a White House memo provided to the newspaper.
The memo claimed that Alibaba hands customer data, including “IP addresses, WiFi information and payment records,” to Chinese authorities and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the report said.
The FT said it could not independently verify the claims, noting that the White House believes the actions threaten US security.
An Alibaba Group spokesperson told AFP “the assertions and innuendos in the article are completely false.”
The Hangzhou-based firm called the memo a “malicious PR operation (that) clearly came from a rogue voice looking to undermine President Trump’s recent trade deal with China.”
The dispute highlights persisting suspicions between Beijing and Washington, which are locked in competition for technological superiority.
Since returning to office in January, US President Donald Trump has reignited a fierce trade war with China.
After months of tit-for-tat tariffs, he and counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to a one-year truce late last month.
A spokesman for China’s embassy in the United States also denied the reported memo’s claims.
“The Chinese government... will never require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in foreign countries in violation of local laws,” said Liu Pengyu in a statement on X.
The report adds to growing concern in Washington about China’s potential use of advanced technology to spy.
On Thursday, California-based artificial intelligence firm Anthropic said it had detected and disrupted what it described as the first documented cyber-espionage campaign conducted largely autonomously by AI.
The activities were attributed to a “Chinese state-sponsored group” designated as GTG-1002, Anthropic said.
Asked about the report at a news conference on Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said he was “not familiar with the specifics,” adding that Beijing had consistently fought hacking activities.


Tokyo urges China to take steps after it discouraged visits to Japan – report

Tokyo urges China to take steps after it discouraged visits to Japan – report
Updated 17 sec ago

Tokyo urges China to take steps after it discouraged visits to Japan – report

Tokyo urges China to take steps after it discouraged visits to Japan – report
  • China on Friday cautioned its citizens against visiting Japan in the spat sparked by comments from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi
  • She earlier said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a ‘survival-threatening situation,’ potentially triggering a military response from Tokyo

TOKYO: Japan urged China on Saturday to take “appropriate measures” after Beijing warned Chinese citizens against visiting Japan, Kyodo news agency reported, in an ongoing dispute over Taiwan.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japan had “conveyed the message to China and strongly asked it to take appropriate actions,” the report said. It did not quote him as elaborating on the measures.

China on Friday cautioned its citizens against visiting Japan in the spat sparked by comments from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. She said last week that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could amount to a “survival-threatening situation,” potentially triggering a military response from Tokyo.

Kihara said Japan and China differ on the issue and it was vital to maintain communication, Kyodo reported.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to take control of the island, which sits just 110 km (70 miles) from Japanese territory. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

Japanese leaders have previously avoided publicly mentioning Taiwan when discussing such scenarios, maintaining a “strategic ambiguity” also favored by Tokyo’s main security ally, the United States.