Hagel Scolds China for Cyber Espionage

Local Editor

US Secretary of War Chuck Hagel reprimanded China for alleged cyber espionage on Saturday, while a Chinese general questioned whether America's growing military presence in Asia is anything more than an affront to Beijing's rise.

His remarks came at the Shangri-La Security Dialogue, where Hagel stated that the US is "clear-eyed about the challenges in cyber," and echoed past administration assertions that the "growing threat of cyber intrusions," targeting US government and industry portals "appear to be tied to the Chinese government and military."

It was the latest public charge from the Obama administration, which has concluded that calling out China publicly could curb what US officials call a brazen and sophisticated quest for American secrets stored online, The Washington Post mentioned.

"We are determined to work more vigorously with China and other partners to establish international norms of responsible behavior in cyberspace," Hagel stressed.

China denied Washington's accusations when it said it did not need to steal American military hardware blueprints because it was more than capable of producing its own.

Moreover, a Chinese general, Major General Yao Yunzhu, the director of China-America Defense Relations at the Chinese military's Academy of Military Science made mocking remarks after Hagel's speech.

"Thank you for mentioning China several times," Yao said, drawing giggles and muttering.

"US officials have long said their growing footprint in the Asia-Pacific region is not meant to offset China's military might, but China is not convinced," she said.

Patrick M. Cronin, an Asia-Pacific expert at the Center for a New American Security argued, "The 2008 global financial crisis and over-commitment of US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan served to accelerate the perception of China as the next superpower and the decline of America."

"The gradual global awakening to China's cyber espionage heightened doubts about America's power," he added.

Source: News Agencies, edited by website team