Chinese officials admitted during a secret December meeting that their country was involved in the series of large-scale hacking attacks on United States infrastructure, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the report, the Chinese delegation's comments at the December meeting were indirect, but the majority of the American delegation understood them as an implied acknowledgment of the Asian country's role in the cyberattacks, with the main reason being the US policy support for Taiwan.

The cyberattacks targeted various US computer networks, including ports, water utilities, airports, telecommunication and internet service provider companies, and even the US Treasury Department. Washington later sanctioned the Chinese actors it claimed were responsible for the hacking attacks.