Beijing: Chinese hacking reports are U.S. smear

STORY: Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the hacking allegations were a "collective disinformation campaign" from the Five Eyes countries, a reference to the intelligence-sharing group of countries made up of the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

Mao added the campaign was launched by the United States for geopolitical reasons and that the report from Microsoft analysts showed that the U.S. government was expanding its channels of disinformation beyond government agencies.

Western intelligence agencies and Microsoft said on Wednesday (May 24) a state-sponsored Chinese hacking group was spying on a wide range of U.S. critical infrastructure organizations, from telecommunications to transportation hubs.