Beijing has turned the tables on Washington, warning that it has “mountains of data” pointing to extensive US cyber attacks targeting China.
Huang Chengqing, director of the National Computer Network Emergency Response Team of China (CNCERT) said instances of hacking by the US had been “as grave as the ones the US claims China has conducted.”
“We have mountains of data, if we wanted to accuse the US, but it’s not helpful in solving the problem,” the senior cyber security official told China Daily.
The statement comes ahead of a meeting between US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping amid increasing threat of cyber warfare.
Beijing claimed the US is fanning cyber security concerns by accusing China of perpetrating such attacks and called for greater cooperation to curb cyber spying. The Chinese government has repeatedly denied any involvement in cyber theft, saying it was a victim itself.
“The importance of handling internet security cases keeps rising, but the issue can only be settled through communication, not confrontation,” Huang said.
Last month, designs for more than two dozen major US weapons systems have been compromised by suspected Chinese hackers, according to Reuters.
