China has long been accused of engaging in cyber attacks and espionage on US networks, but for the first time the US military directly attributed some of those attacks to its counterparts in China, the People鈥檚 Liberation Army (PLA).
鈥淚n 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the United States government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the [Chinese] government and military organizations,鈥� Mr. Helvey said during a Pentagon briefing this week.
The report points to cyberespionage, along with other activities 鈥� with the aim of bolstering China鈥檚 military advantages:
鈥淐hina continues to leverage foreign investments, commercial joint ventures, academic exchanges, the experience of repatriated Chinese students and researchers, and state-sponsored industrial and technical espionage to increase the level of technologies and expertise available to support military research, development, and acquisition.鈥�
