BEIJING, China: The public security bureau in Guangzhou, a city in China, has announced a secret reward for more than 20 people it believes were involved in cyberattacks in China, according to China's official news agency Xinhua this week. This move adds to China's growing claims that Taiwan is behind these attacks.

Authorities said these hackers were connected to the Taiwan government and named one of them as Ning Enwei. Chinese state media did not say how much the reward is.

Chinese officials accused Taiwan of planning and carrying out cyberattacks on essential sectors in China. These include the military, aerospace, government offices, energy and transportation, maritime services, and research companies in science and technology. China said Taiwan also attacked Hong Kong and Macau, two special administrative regions.

Xinhua, quoting a cybersecurity report, said Taiwan's "information, communication, and digital army" has worked with U.S. forces opposing China. The report said they used online platforms to try to influence public opinion in China, secretly encouraged rebellion, and tried to disturb social order.

Taiwan's government has not yet replied to requests for comment.

A senior security official in Taiwan told Reuters that China's claims were made up. The official, who didn't want to be named due to the sensitive nature of the issue, said Beijing was trying to distract from growing concerns in the Czech Republic and other parts of Europe about China's hacking.

"They made up this story to take the attention away," the official said. "It's a common tactic used by the Chinese Communist Party. But no matter what story they tell, it won't change the fact that Beijing is not only causing trouble in the region but is also a global threat in the online world."

China also claimed Taiwan has worked closely with U.S. intelligence groups like the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as part of America's "Asia-Pacific Strategy." According to China, this is Taiwan's way of trying to gain independence by relying on the U.S.

A social media post linked to Chinese state television said that the U.S. has been providing training and technical equipment to Taiwan's digital army. It also claimed that many police stations have sent "hunting" teams to Taiwan to launch cyberattacks against China.

Last week, officials in Guangzhou blamed a cyberattack on a technology company on the Taiwan government. They said the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which rules Taiwan, supported the foreign hacker group behind the attack.

In response, Taiwan accused China of spreading lies and said China was actually the one hacking Taiwan.

China sees Taiwan as part of its territory. However, Taiwan's democratic government firmly rejects China's claims.

Chinese courts have no legal power in Taiwan, which is governed separately. Taiwan has often complained about China trying to extend its legal reach beyond its borders.