BEIJING, May 7 - A Pentagon report alleging that China is conducting cyber attacks against the United States is groundless and irresponsible, said military experts on Tuesday.In its annual report to Congress on Chinese military developments, the Pentagon said the U.S. government continues to be targeted with cyber intrusions, "some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military."
In response, Wang Xinjun, a researcher with the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said it was irresponsible for the Pentagon to make such an assertion as the Chinese government and armed forces have never sanctioned hacking activities.
"Although it is common sense that you cannot determine sources of cyber attacks only through IP addresses, some people in the Pentagon still prefer believing they are from China as they always bear a sense of rivalry," Wang said. "It is an allegation based on presupposition."
He continued, "The groundless accusations reflect U.S. distrust of China." The move is harmful to mutual trust between the two countries, he added.
In an information era, the international community is increasingly threatened by cyber security problems. Both China and the United States are victims of cyber crimes and should work together to tackle the issue, Wang said.
The researcher suggested that the first undertaking to forge a collaboration is to improve mutual trust rather than making false accusations; otherwise, more hostile actions will be expected in future.
Yao Yunzhu, another researcher at the academy, echoed Wang's opinion. She said that, as the world is entering a cyber era, making such false accusations is pointless.
"Instead, the United States and China should consider working together for an international cyber order that is fair to all and without prerogative," according to Yao.
She said military-to-military ties between China and the United States have been moving in a positive direction since last year, but groundless accusations will not be conducive to the momentum.
According to Yao, the act of publishing such a report on China is in itself not an action denoting goodwill, since it is not common practice for the United States to release a report on a single nation.
Also, the report tried to discredit China by saying the Asian country displays a lack of transparency over its military expenses and China's military development "serves more narrowly defined PRC interests and objectives, including advancing territorial claims."
It also accused China of cyber spying to gain information to benefit defense industries, military planners and government leaders.
Publishing an annual report full of such false accusations will have a negative impact on the building of military ties with China that are healthy, stable, reliable and continuous, a goal proposed by the U.S. side last year, Yao added.
