China calls US the 'real hacking empire' after Pentagon report

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 8 May 2013 11:39 IST
China calls US the 'real hacking empire' after Pentagon report

China on Wednesday accused the United States of sowing discord between China and its neighbours after the Pentagon said Beijing is using espionage to fuel its military modernisation, branding Washington the "real hacking empire".

The latest salvo came a day after China's foreign ministry dismissed as groundless a Pentagon report which accused China for the first time of trying to break into U.S. defense computer networks.

The Pentagon also cited progress in Beijing's effort to develop advanced-technology stealth aircraft and build an aircraft carrier fleet to project power further offshore.

The People's Liberation Army Daily called the report a "gross interference in China's internal affairs".

Advertisement

"Promoting the 'China military threat theory' can sow discord between China and other countries, especially its relationship with its neighbouring countries, to contain China and profit from it," the newspaper said in a commentary that was carried on China's Defence Ministry's website.

The United States is "trumpeting China's military threat to promote its domestic interests groups and arms dealers", the newspaper said, adding that it expects "U.S. arms manufacturers are gearing up to start counting their money".

Advertisement

The remarks in the newspaper underscore the escalating mistrust between China and the United States over hacking, now a top point of contention between Washington and Beijing.

A U.S. computer security company, Mandiant, said in February a secretive Chinese military unit was likely behind a series of hacking attacks that targeted the United States and stole data from more than 100 companies.

Advertisement

That set off a war of words between Washington and Beijing.

China has said repeatedly that it does not condone hacking and is the victim of hacking attacks most of which it claims come from the United States.

"As we all know, the United States is the real 'hacking empire' and has an extensive espionage network," the People's Daily, a newspaper regarded as a mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, said in a commentary.

The article which was published under the pen name "Zhong Sheng", meaning "Voice of China" said "in recent years, the United States has continued to strengthen its network tools for political subversion against other countries".

"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."

© Thomson Reuters 2013

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Internet
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. OnePlus 13 Series Gets AI-Powered Plus Mind Feature With Latest Update
  2. Vivo X200 FE Launched in India With 6,500mAh Battery, Compact Design
  3. Tesla Officially Enters India With the Launch of Tesla Model Y: See Price
  4. Up to 70 Percent Discount on Headphones During Amazon Prime Day Sale 2025
  5. Amazon Prime Day Sale 2025 Highlights: Top Last-Minute Deals on Day 3
  6. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold May Offer Larger Cover Display, Faster Charging
  7. Samsung Galaxy S25 FE Key Specifications Leaked: All Details
  8. Nothing Phone 3 and Headphone 1 to Go on Sale in India From Today
  1. Oppo K13 Turbo, K13 Turbo Pro Design, Colour Options Revealed Ahead of July 21 Launch
  2. Tesla Model Y Price in India Announced; Tesla App for iOS Available to Download
  3. iPhone 17 Components Arrive in India; Mass Production Expected to Begin in August: Report
  4. Vivo Y50 5G, Vivo Y50m 5G Appear on China Telecom Site With MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC, 6,000mAh Battery
  5. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Said to Get Larger Battery, Faster Charging and Bigger Cover Display
  6. Nothing Phone 3 and Headphone 1 Sale in India Begins Today: Price, Offers
  7. OnePlus 13 Series Update Brings Plus Mind Feature for Quickly Storing Information in Mind Space
  8. Earth’s Spin to Speed Up Briefly, Causing Shorter Days This Summer
  9. James Webb Telescope Spots Rare ‘Cosmic Owl’ Formed by Colliding Galaxies
  10. MIT Develops Low-Resource AI System to Control Soft Robots with Just One Image
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.