China Summons US Ambassador Over Cyber-Espionage Allegations

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 20 May 2014 18:17 IST
China summoned the U.S. ambassador after the United States accused five Chinese military officers of hacking into American companies to steal trade secrets, warning Washington it could take further action, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Ambassador to China, Max Baucus, met with Zheng Zeguang, assistant foreign minister, on Monday shortly after the United States charged the five Chinese, accusing them of hacking into American nuclear, metal and solar companies to steal trade secrets.

Zheng "protested" the actions by the United States, saying the indictment had seriously harmed relations between both countries, the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

(Also see: US Accuses China of Cyber-Espionage Targeting American Firms)

Advertisement

Zheng told Baucus that depending on the development of the situation, China "will take further action on the so-called charges by the United States".

Advertisement

It was the first criminal hacking charge that the United States has filed against specific foreign officials, and follows a steady increase in public criticism and private confrontation, including at a summit last year between U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The indictment is likely to further roil relations between China and the United States. Besides cyber-hacking, Washington and Beijing have grappled over a range of issues, including human rights, trade disputes and China's growing military assertiveness over seas contested with its neighbors.

(Also see: Cyber disputes loom large as Obama meets China's Xi)

"The Chinese government and military and its associated personnel have never conducted or participated in the theft of trade secrets over the Internet," the foreign ministry quoted Zheng as telling Baucus.

Advertisement

Zheng told Baucus that the U.S. attitude to Internet security was "overbearing and hypocritical" and urged the United States to give China a clear explanation on reports that Washington has long spied on the Chinese government, businesses, universities and individuals.

The U.S. Embassy to China spokesman, Nolan Barkhouse, confirmed the meeting but declined to provide more details.

Advertisement

China's Ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, also "made solemn representations" to the State Department on Monday.

"The accusations that the United States have made against these Chinese officials are purely fictitious and extremely absurd," Cui was quoted as saying by the state-run China News Service said.

China's defence ministry summoned the American military attache on Tuesday to protest what they said were actions "that seriously violated norms governing international relations and for seriously slandering the image of the Chinese army".

"Double standards"
The angry reaction from Beijing is likely to be the first major test for Baucus, who arrived in Beijing in March, as he seeks to balance U.S. interests with the desire for more economic cooperation with China.

China is the United States' biggest foreign creditor. As of February, China held $1.27 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds, according to Treasury Department data.

"If the case is not withdrawn, I expect the Chinese government to retaliate," said Jin Canrong, associate dean of the School of International Studies at Renmin University in Beijing.

The majority of China's Internet users are now furious because they think the United States has "double standards" on spying, Jin said, adding that negative domestic public opinion would have a detrimental effect on Sino-U.S. relations.

The leaks by National Security Administration contractor Edward Snowden have given China grounds for accusing the United States of infiltrating Chinese companies and government offices.

The foreign ministry said it would suspend the activities of a Sino-U.S. working group on cyber issues. The defence ministry issued a similarly pointed statement on Tuesday, saying the accusations contained "ulterior motives".

"Suspending the operations of a bilateral group on cyber affairs is a reasonable start, but more countermeasures should be prepared in case Washington obstinately sticks to the wrong track," state news agency Xinhua said in a commentary.

When asked about how China could retaliate against the United States, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily news briefing that "it is the United States that should take actions, correct its mistake and withdraw the decision".

(Also see: Here's Why the Latest US-China Spy Case Is So Significant)

Skeptics said U.S. authorities would not be able to arrest those indicted because Beijing would not hand them over. Still, the move would prevent the individuals from traveling to the United States or other countries that have an extradition agreement with the United States.

U.S. Federal prosecutors said the suspects targeted companies including Alcoa Inc, Allegheny Technologies Inc, United States Steel Corp, Toshiba Corp unit Westinghouse Electric Co, the U.S. subsidiaries of SolarWorld AG, and a steel workers' union. According to the indictment, all five defendants worked with Unit 61398 of the People's Liberation Army ", which had been "hired" by Chinese state-owned companies to provide information technology services" including assembling a database of corporate intelligence. The Chinese companies were not named.

© Thomson Reuters 2014

 

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.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. DeepSeek-OCR Could Change How AI Reads Text From Images
  2. OnePlus 15 Battery Capacity, Charging Speed Teased Days Ahead of Launch
  3. iQOO Neo 11 Key Specifications Tipped Ahead of Launch in China
  4. These Are the 5 Biggest OxygenOS 16 Features You Should Know About
  5. BSNL Samman Plan For Senior Citizens Announced at This Price
  6. OnePlus 15 India Launch Teased; Key Features Revealed Ahead of Launch
  7. Redmi K90 Pro Max Key Features Revealed Ahead of Launch on October 23
  8. Samsung Galaxy XR Headset Launched With Hand Tracking at This Price
  9. Realme GT 8, Realme GT 8 Pro With Ricoh GR Optics Launched: See Price
  10. Your Smartwatch Could Soon Know Your Location to the Centimetre
  1. Redmi K90 Design, Key Features Revealed; Confirmed to Debut With 7,100mAh Battery
  2. Poco Pad M1 Spotted on TDRA Website, Could Debut Globally as Rebranded Redmi Pad 2 Pro
  3. Samsung AI Glasses Confirmed to Launch in Collaboration with Warby Parker, Gentle Monster
  4. iQOO Neo 11 Confirmed to Come With 2K Display and 7,500mAh Battery; Colour Options Tipped
  5. MacBook Pro 14-inch (2025) and iPad Pro With M5 Chip Now Available in India: Prices and Other Details Here
  6. Samsung Galaxy XR Headset Launched With Hand Tracking, Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 SoC: Price, Specifications
  7. Samsung Galaxy XR Headset Launching Today: Know Price, Features, and Specifications
  8. Smartwatch Breakthrough Brings GPS Accuracy Down to a Few Centimetres
  9. SpaceX Launches 10,000th Starlink Satellite, Sets New Annual Record
  10. Scientists Discover New Seismic Clue to Predict Mount Etna Eruptions
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.