The Chinese embassy in Singapore has strongly denied allegations that a cyberespionage group accused of attacking the city-state’s critical infrastructure is linked to China, calling the claims “groundless smears and accusations.”

In a Facebook statement published over the weekend, the embassy reiterated China’s official stance against cybercrime, stating: “China is firmly against and cracks down on all forms of cyberattacks in accordance with the law. China does not encourage, support, or condone hacking activities.”

The response follows remarks by a Singaporean government minister last Friday, who said a group identified as UNC3886 had targeted “high-value strategic threat targets” and key infrastructure essential to national services. While the minister did not directly attribute the attacks to any country, cybersecurity firm Mandiant — a subsidiary of Google — has previously identified UNC3886 as a “China-nexus espionage group.”

Mandiant alleges the group has been involved in cyber operations against defence, telecommunications, and technology organisations across the United States and Asia.

Beijing has routinely denied accusations of cyberespionage and maintains that China itself is a frequent victim of such attacks.

Singapore’s Cyber Security Agency classifies sectors such as energy, water, finance, healthcare, transportation, government services, media, and emergency response as part of its critical infrastructure — systems considered vital to the country’s functioning and national security.

The incident adds to ongoing global tensions surrounding cyber operations and digital sovereignty, with nations increasingly grappling with threats to their infrastructure from state and non-state actors alike.