China denies engaging in cyber theft following U.S. indictments on Equifax case

FILE PHOTO: Credit cards, a chain and an open padlock is seen in front of displayed Equifax logo in this illustration

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday the Chinese government and the military do not engage or participate in the theft of trade secrets through the internet.

The comments were in response to the U.S. government's indictment of Chinese military hackers in the 2017 breach of the Equifax credit reporting agency.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters during a daily briefing that China is also a victim of U.S. cyber theft, surveillance and monitoring and said Beijing demands the United States stop such acts.

(Reporting by Huizhong Wu; Writing by Se Young Lee; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)