China’s foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, has called for increased “rules and cooperation” during a press conference, saying that China represented one of the countries that “faces the most severe cyber-attacks" in the whole world.

In the press conference Yang Jiechi described how China supported U.N. legislation on Internet security and pressed for the need for cooperation between nations, rather than the development of increasing cyberwarfare.

China has been repeatedly accused of carrying out state sponsored cyber-attacks against western government, with calls growing in the U.S. to retaliate in kind.

Yang Jiechi responded to the criticism, saying: “I hope that the relevant parties will stop the irresponsible attacks and criticism, and instead take practical actions to promote mutual trust and cooperation”.

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