Artificial intelligence, particularly quantum computing, will be a key in future cybersecurity, experts say.
WASHINGTON—The United States should use tariffs to deter Chinese state-sponsored cyber attacks, a House lawmaker told The Epoch Times.
Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.), chairman of the Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs, made the remarks on April 2, which President Donald Trump called the “Liberation Day” as he announced his reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners with an aim to erase trade deficits.
Timmons suggested that the Trump administration use tariffs as part of its cybersecurity strategy to hold foreign adversaries accountable and establish deterrents against potential malign cyber activities in the future.
In 2001, the United States invaded Afghanistan to dismantle al-Qaeda for its role in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, “so it’s not unreasonable if a terrorist or a foreign state is going to cause immense damage and threaten our national security that we just use tariffs to hold them accountable, to extract economic pain,” Timmons said, while chairing a hearing on Salt Typhoon.
This Chinese state-sponsored hacking group is known for having compromised at least nine major U.S. telecom networks, including Verizon, AT&T, and CenturyLink.
Timmons told The Epoch Times that his suggestion is not hard to implement, as long as the U.S. government can identify the party responsible for a cyberattack.
The State Department has offered $10 million in rewards for information on another hacking group called i-Soon, which engaged in cyberattacks against U.S. government and other U.S. and global organizations, including The Epoch Times.
“I mean, at the end of the day, if the federal government steps in, makes a business that has experienced a cyberattack or a breach whole, and then extracts the damages from the country of origin. That seems pretty simple to me,” Timmons said. “I think it’s a great tool in our toolbox that the president clearly is willing to use.
“He can use tariffs to secure our critical infrastructure and our businesses from future attacks by making them whole.”
Trump slapped a 34 percent tariff on China on Wednesday, on top of the 20 percent rate he instituted earlier this year.
Salt Typhoon has targeted the phone communications of senior political figures, including Trump and Vice President JD Vance, as well as then-Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign, before the 2024 presidential election. The group was also responsible for stealing documents from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which implements U.S. economic and trade sanctions.
By Eva Fu and Frank Fang
