BEIJING (Feb 7): China would never allow any Chinese entities or individuals to conduct illegal activities such as cyber attacks or use Chinese facilities for such attacks, the Chinese embassy in the Netherlands said in a statement on Wednesday.

The embassy was responding to a report by Dutch intelligence agencies that said Chinese state-backed cyber spies gained access to a Dutch military network last year.

It is the first time the Netherlands has publicly attributed cyber espionage to China.

"China opposes any malicious speculation and groundless accusations, and advocates joint efforts to safeguard cybersecurity through dialogue and cooperation," an embassy spokesperson was quoted as saying in the statement.

The allegations are the latest by a country claiming that China has tried to hack sensitive information, with the Philippines on Monday saying it had thwarted an attack by Chinese hackers.

According to a Reuters report, the US government in recent months launched an operation to fight a pervasive Chinese hacking operation that compromised thousands of internet-connected devices.

The hacking group at the center of recent activity, Volt Typhoon, has especially alarmed intelligence officials who say it is part of a larger effort to compromise Western critical infrastructure, including naval ports, internet service providers and utilities.

The Netherlands embassy spokesperson said the "Chinese government has always resolutely opposed and cracked down on all forms of cyber attacks in accordance with the law."