While some recent estimates have more than 90 percent of cyberespionage in the United States originating in China, the accusations relayed in the Pentagon\u2019s annual report to Congress on Chinese military capabilities were remarkable in their directness. Until now the administration avoided directly accusing both the Chinese government and the People\u2019s Liberation Army of using cyberweapons against the United States in a deliberate, government-developed strategy to steal intellectual property and gain strategic advantage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2012, numerous computer systems around the world, including those owned by the U.S. government, continued to be targeted for intrusions, some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military,\u201d the nearly 100-page report said.<\/p>\n

The report, released Monday, described China\u2019s primary goal as stealing industrial technology, but said many intrusions also seemed aimed at obtaining insights into American policy makers\u2019 thinking. It warned that the same information-gathering could easily be used for \u201cbuilding a picture of U.S. network defense networks, logistics, and related military capabilities that could be exploited during a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was unclear why the administration chose the Pentagon report to make assertions that it has long declined to make at the White House. A White House official declined to say at what level the report was cleared. A senior defense official said \u201cthis was a thoroughly coordinated report,\u201d but did not elaborate.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying, criticized the report.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018China has repeatedly said that we resolutely oppose all forms of hacker attacks,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u2018\u2018We\u2019re willing to carry out an even-tempered and constructive dialogue with the U.S. on the issue of Internet security. But we are firmly opposed to any groundless accusations and speculations, since they will only damage the cooperation efforts and atmosphere between the two sides to strengthen dialogue and cooperation.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Missing from the Pentagon report was any acknowledgment of the similar abilities being developed in the United States, where billions of dollars are spent each year on cyberdefense and constructing increasingly sophisticated cyberweapons. Recently the director of the National Security Agency, Gen. Keith Alexander, who is also commander of the military\u2019s fast-growing Cyber Command, told Congress that he was creating more than a dozen offensive cyberunits, designed to mount attacks, when necessary, at foreign computer networks.<\/p>\n

When the United States mounted its cyberattacks on Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities early in President Obama\u2019s first term, Mr. Obama expressed concern to aides that China and other states might use the American operations to justify their own intrusions.<\/p>\n

But the Pentagon report describes something far more sophisticated: A China that has now leapt into the first ranks of offensive cybertechnologies. It is investing in electronic warfare capabilities in an effort to blind American satellites and other space assets, and hopes to use electronic and traditional weapons systems to gradually push the United States military presence into the mid-Pacific nearly 2,000 miles from China\u2019s coast.<\/p>\n

The report argues that China\u2019s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, commissioned last September, is the first of several carriers the country plans to deploy over the next 15 years. It said the carrier would not reach \u201coperational effectiveness\u201d for three or four years, but is already set to operate in the East and South China Seas, the site of China\u2019s territorial disputes with several neighbors, including Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The report notes a new carrier base under construction in Yuchi.<\/p>\n

The report also detailed China\u2019s progress in developing its stealth aircraft, first tested in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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