China has dismissed US claims hackers procured blueprints for America’s most advanced weaponry. Beijing stated the allegations underestimate the Chinese people’s intellect and that China is perfectly capable of producing its own weapons.
A US Science Board report leaked this week alleged the Chinese
hackers had obtained access to the designs of two dozen major US
weapons systems in what amounted to “billions of dollars of
combat advantage to China.”
The Washington Post, who saw a copy of the report, intimated that
such information could be used by the Chinese government to speed
up the development of their military. An unnamed official told
the Post that China had saved themselves “25 years of research
and development” by stealing the plans.
Beijing reacted with ire, with Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman
Geng Yansheng dismissing the report as ridiculous.
“It both underestimates the Pentagon’s defensive security
abilities and the Chinese people’s intelligence,” said Geng
in a news briefing.
He stressed that China had demonstrated on numerous occasions it
has the ability “to build the weapons needed for national
security.”
“Recently China’s aircraft carrier, new fighter jets and
transport aircraft … have clearly shown this,” concluded
Geng.
The Washington Post wrote that among the designs procured by the
Chinese were blueprints for combat aircraft, ships and missiles
defense systems for Europe, Asia and the Gulf. These included the
advanced Patriot missile system, the F/A-18 fighter jet, the
Black Hawk helicopter and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
While Pentagon press secretary George Little told CNN on Tuesday
claims that cyber-attacks had weakened US military capabilities
were incorrect.
“Suggestions that cyberintrusions have somehow led to the
erosion of our capabilities or technological edge are incorrect,
we maintain full confidence in our weapons platforms,” said
Little.
The White House has accused Beijing repeatedly of hack attacks on
US government and military systems. At the beginning of May the
US Department of Defense formally condemned Chinese
cyber-attacks, “some of which appear to be attributable
directly to the Chinese government and military.”
“Hacking attacks are transnational and anonymous,” Hong
Lei, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said. “Determining
their origins is extremely difficult. We don’t know how the
evidence in this so-called report can be tenable.”
The issue of cyber warfare has been a significant bone of
contention in Sino-American relations lately, although Beijing
has refuted all claims of cyber-attack on the US. Chinese
President Xi Jingping is in America this week, where he will
conduct talks with his American counterpart Barack Obama.
Cyber security is expected to be at the top of the agenda, as
well as China’s growing military might and its claim on disputed
territory in the East China Sea.
This article originally appeared on: RT