China has accused the US of stealing secrets and infiltrating the country's national time centre, warning that serious breaches could have disrupted communication networks, financial systems, the power supply and the international standard time.

The US National Security Agency has been carrying out a cyber attack operation on the National Time Service Centre over an extended period of time, China's State Security Ministry said in a statement on its WeChat account on Sunday.

The ministry said it found evidence tracing stolen data and credentials as far back as 2022, which were used to spy on the staff's mobile devices and network systems at the centre.

The US intelligence agency had "exploited a vulnerability" in the messaging service of a foreign smartphone brand to access staff members

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