US has 'infiltrated' Huawei since 2009, says China

ISTANBUL

The US' National Security Agency has "infiltrated" Beijing-based tech company Huawei's servers since 2009, China's State Security Ministry alleged on Wednesday.

"The US (is putting) in every effort to play the victim in the name of 'safeguarding cybersecurity' to coerce other countries into 'Clean Network' project, which aims to purge Chinese tech companies," the ministry said.

The US Office of Tailored Access Operation (TAO), which is connected to the NSA, initiated a campaign to infiltrate Huawei's central servers in 2009, Beijing-based news broadcaster CGTN reported.

Since then, the US has been carrying out surveillance of Huawei's system, the country's state security minister said in a post on local social media platform WeChat.

The TAO conducted "tens of thousands of malicious cyberattacks on China's network targets, controlled tens of thousands of network devices and stolen a large amount of high-value data," the ministry said.

"Their goal is to suppress opponents and maintain their hegemony," the ministry added.