China has accused the United States of being, “the real hacking empire” after a Pentagon report which said for the first time that cyber attacks on the U.S. were “directly attributable” to Beijing.
A report published in a newspaper affiliated to the Chinese Communist Party accused the American government of "trumpeting China's military threat to promote its domestic interests groups and arms dealers,” and said, “U.S. arms manufacturers are gearing up to start counting their money."
The response was published in the People’s Liberation Army Daily, a newspaper regarded as being a mouthpiece for the Chinese government. The editorial was also carried on China’s Defence Ministry’s website, according to a Reuters report.
"As we all know, the United States is the real 'hacking empire' and has an extensive espionage network," the report said. “In recent years, the United States has continued to strengthen its network tools for political subversion against other countries".
"Cyber weapons are more frightening than nuclear weapons," the People's Liberation Army Daily said. "To establish military hegemony on the Internet by repeatedly smearing other countries is a dangerous and wrong path to take and will ultimately end up in shooting themselves in the foot."
The 83-page Pentagon report, Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China, said, “In 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the US government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military.”
