The United States should cease from "groundless speculation" and criticizing China and contribute more to safeguarding the security of cyber space, Beijing said on Thursday.

With the world’s most advanced cyber technology, the US should set itself as an example, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing.

Hua was responding to recent allegations over so-called cyber threats from China by a senior US official and companies linked to cyber security.

During a speech on Tuesday entitled “Strengthening our Nation’s Cyber Defenses”, assistant to the US President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco said that threats “come from nations with highly sophisticated cyber programs, including China and Russia”.

On the same day, US cyber security firms said a Chinese espionage team hacked Forbes magazine to search for defense contractors, financial firms, and other users visiting the popular news website.

Hua said the Chinese government firmly opposes and combats, according to the law, any form of hacker attacks.

These attacks are a global issue that need international cooperation to address, said Hua, urging countries to enhance trust and communication to jointly uphold the cyber security, openness and cooperation.