China yesterday reacted angrily to a US congressional report that accused Beijing of developing sophisticated cyber-warfare systems and militarizing its space program.
The annual China report to Congress of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission was aimed at misleading the public and impeding bilateral cooperation, foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang (秦剛) said.
“The commission has all along seen China through dark glasses and has deliberately attacked China with slanderous accusations aimed at misleading public opinion and obstructing the development of Sino-US relations,” Qin said.
“The report is unworthy of rebuttal and the aims of the commission are doomed to failure,” he said in a statement on his ministry’s Web site.
The report issued in Washington on Thursday accused China of developing a sophisticated cyber-warfare program aimed at penetrating US computer networks to extract sensitive information.
“China has an active cyber espionage program,” the report said. “China is targeting US government and commercial computers.”
The panel accused Beijing of exercising “heavy-handed government control” over its economy and “continuing arms sales and military support to rogue regimes” such as Sudan, Myanmar and Iran.
The commission also issued a warning about China’s space program. “China continues to make significant progress in developing space capabilities, many of which easily translate to enhanced military capacity,” it said.
Qin urged the commission to stop issuing such reports and refrain from interfering in China’s internal affairs.
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