Share

The Latest: China accuses US of 'fabricating facts'

Share

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on Chinese cyberespionage (all times local):

10 p.m.

China has accused the U.S. of “fabricating facts” after it charged two Chinese hackers with carrying out an extensive campaign to steal trade secrets and other information on behalf of Beijing’s main intelligence agency.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement Friday that the indictment severely violates the basic norms of international relations and damages U.S.-China cooperation.

Hua calls the charges “completely vile,” adding that the U.S. is the one that has long engaged in “cybertheft.”

Trending:
Lib Host Jon Stewart Overvalued His Home By 829% After Saying Trump Civil Case Is 'Not Victimless'

U.S. officials say the alleged hackers obtained information on several major American corporations and nearly a dozen other nations.

__

9:15 p.m.

New Zealand has joined a growing list of countries accusing China of cyber theft.

New Zealand’s international spy agency says it became aware of the campaign in early 2017 and that it runs counter to commitments that China and other member nations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group made in 2016.

New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) says it has established links between the Chinese Ministry of State Security and a global campaign of cyber-enabled commercial intellectual property theft.

GCSB Director-General Andrew Hampton says some of the targeted service providers were operating in New Zealand.

Hampton says New Zealand is committed to upholding rules-based international order and joins other partner nations in saying such cyber theft is unacceptable.

China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner.

Related:
Former MSNBC Host Chuck Todd Furious After Network Hires Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel

___

11:45 a.m.

The British government has accused China of conducting a “widespread and significant” campaign of cyberespionage against the U.K. and its allies.

The Foreign Office says a group known as APT 10, acting on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security, carried out “a malicious cyber campaign targeting intellectual property and sensitive commercial data in Europe, Asia and the U.S.”

It says the group “almost certainly continues to target a range of global companies, seeking to gain access to commercial secrets.”

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says China’s actions “go against commitments made to the U.K. in 2015 and as part of the G20 not to support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property or trade secrets.”

The U.K. announcement came as U.S. officials unsealed an indictment against two Chinese citizens accused of cyberespionage.

___

10:30 a.m.

The Justice Department is charging two Chinese citizens with carrying out an extensive hacking campaign to steal data from U.S. companies.

An indictment was unsealed Thursday against Zhu Hua and Zhang Shillong. Prosecutors say they were acting on behalf of China’s main intelligence agency.

Court papers filed in Manhattan federal court allege the hackers were able to breach the computers of more than 45 entities in 12 states. The victims were in a variety of industries from aviation and space to pharmaceutical technology.

Prosecutors charge that the hackers were able to steal “hundreds of gigabytes” of data.

Court papers say they hacked computer service providers to gain access to the networks of businesses and governments in order to steal intellectual property and business data.

Chinese intelligence officials and hackers. A case filed in October marked the first time that a Chinese Ministry of State Security officer was extradited to the United States to stand trial.

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation