After raising tariffs on U.S. products and warning citizens to rethink U.S. travel plans, Beijing accused a U.S. government agency of hacking infrastructure.
News Analysis
As tensions escalate between China and the United States, Beijing has accused a U.S. security agency and others of conducting cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. Analysts believe this situation indicates a broader trend of economic decoupling between the two nations.
State media Xinhua reported on April 15 that Chinese authorities accused the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) of launching cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province, in February.
Chinese cybersecurity experts claim they traced instructions found in Heilongjiang’s critical infrastructure back to the U.S. agency, according to the news report, which was republished on the website of China’s Ministry of Public Security, the country’s top espionage agency.
Beijing’s announcement follows a report released by China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center on April 3 that highlights allegations of overseas cyberattacks targeting the information systems of the Asian Winter Games. The report claims that these alleged attacks, which it said occurred between Feb. 7 and Feb. 14, came mainly from the United States and its allies.
In response to a request for comment on Beijing’s cyberattack accusation, the U.S. State Department said it is aware of the situation.
“The reality is that Chinese cyber actors continue to target the United States,” a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on April 20.
“We have been clear that China’s pervasive and irresponsible cyber activity is unacceptable.”
“Targeting U.S. critical infrastructure networks must stop.”
Chinese police are also pursuing three individuals they allege are NSA agents involved in the alleged cyberattacks, according to Xinhua. They claim that Katheryn A. Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, and Stephen W. Johnson targeted China’s infrastructure and companies, including telecom giant Huawei.
The Chinese authorities encouraged the public to come forward with information, promising unspecified rewards for any tips, according to the report. No personal details, including photos or information about the accused individuals’ whereabouts, have been released.
In response to an inquiry from The Epoch Times, the NSA on April 20 declined to comment on the matter.
Chinese officials claim to have evidence suggesting that the University of California and Virginia Tech were also involved in these alleged cyber incidents, according to Xinhua, but they did not provide details to support the claim.
The University of California told The Epoch Times on April 21 that it is looking into the matter, while Virginia Tech did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
