China denies hacking U.S. lawmakers' computers

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday dismissed accusations from two United States lawmakers that it had hacked their office computers as alarmist and unfounded.

U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, a Virginia Republican, said his office computers had been compromised in August 2006 and that he was told by the FBI and other officials the source of the attack was inside China.

Rep. Christopher Smith, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said his computer had also been attacked from China.

"Is there any evidence? Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a regular news conference in Beijing. "... China is still a developing country. Does that mean we have already mastered such high-end technology? Personally I' don't believe that."

Wolf said the computers that were targeted contained sensitive information about human rights in China, while Smith, a New Jersey Republican, said he had "every reason to believe" the Chinese government was to blame.

"I'd like to advise some people in the U.S. not to be overly suspicious and not to make sensational remarks all the time," Qin said. "They should rather do more things that help China-U.S. friendship and understanding."

(Reporting by Guo Shipeng; Editing by Nick Macfie)