US Defense Secretary chief accuses China of cyber spying

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Saturday accused Beijing of involvement in cyber espionage against Washington in a speech at a Singapore security forum attended by Chinese military officials.

Stepping up US pressure on China over electronic espionage ahead of a summit between their leaders next week, Hagel pointedly blamed the Chinese government and military for repeated intrusions into sensitive US information systems.

"The United States has expressed our concerns about the growing threat of cyber intrusions, some of which appear to be tied to the Chinese government and military," Hagel told an annual Singapore conference known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.

"As the world's two largest economies, the US and China have many areas of common interest and concern, and the establishment of a cyber working group is a positive step in fostering US-China dialogue on cyber (issues)," the Pentagon chief said.
"We are determined to work more vigorously with China and other partners to establish international norms of responsible behaviour in cyberspace," he added.

The Chinese delegation to the conference was led by Lieutenant General Qi Jianguo, deputy chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army.