War of Words Ensues As Pentagon Accuses China of Cyber Espionage

China has engaged in widespread cyber espionage in a bid to extract information about America’s foreign policy deliberations and military capabilities, said the Pentagon in the most explicit U.S. statement yet charging that it is China that is behind at least some of the many intrusions into U.S. government computer systems.

China has engaged in widespread cyber espionage in a bid to extract information about America’s foreign policy deliberations and military capabilities, said the Pentagon in the most explicit U.S. statement yet charging that it is China that is behind at least some of the many intrusions into U.S. government computer systems.

In its 83-page annual report on Chinese military and security developments, Pentagon on Tuesday said China kept up a steady campaign of hacking in 2012 that included attempts to target U.S. government computer networks, which could provide Beijing a better insight into America’s foreign policy deliberations and military capabilities.

“In 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the U.S. government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military,” the report said.

The attacks were focused on “exfiltrating information” that “could potentially be used to benefit China’s defence industry, high technology industries… and military planners,” it said, adding that this was particularly worrying because the “skills required for these intrusions are similar to those necessary to conduct computer network attacks”.

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The cyber spying also could assist Chinese military planners in “building a picture of U.S. network defence networks, logistics, and related military capabilities that could be exploited during a crisis,” said the Pentagon.

Speaking at a press briefing, David Helvey, deputy assistant secretary of defence for East Asia, said:

[quote] What concerns me is the extent to which China’s military modernisation occurs in the absence of the type of openness and transparency that others are certainly asking of China. [/quote]

The Pentagon report highlights an issue that has emerged as a source of friction in bilateral relations between the world’s two largest economies and comes amid ongoing tensions in the Asia-Pacific region due to China’s military assertiveness and expansive claims of sovereignty over disputed islands and shoals.

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China filed a protest with the U.S. over the report and rejects “groundless accusations and hype,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a briefing in Beijing yesterday.

“China is carrying out necessary and moderate defence building, which is completely for the purpose of national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and it is the legitimate right of any sovereign state,” said Hua.

She added that Beijing firmly opposes any form of cyber espionage and claims it is a victim of cyber attacks from the United States.

In retaliation, the People’s Daily, a state-owned news outlet with ties to the Communist Party, called Washington the “real hacking empire”.  

“As we all know, the United States is the real ‘hacking empire’ and has an extensive espionage network. Cyber weapons are more frightening than nuclear weapons,” the People’s Daily said. “To establish military hegemony on the Internet by repeatedly smearing other countries is a dangerous and wrong path to take and will ultimately end up in shooting themselves in the foot.”

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