National Security Advisor Tom Donilon exercised America’s first public confrontation with China over cyberespionage on Monday in a speech taking place two days after Chinese foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, denied the validity of the growing evidence that the Chinese military was involved in cyberattacks on American corporations and government agencies. The White House has three requests: public recognition of the urgency of the problem; a commitment to crack down on hackers in China; and an agreement to help establish global standards for cyberbehavior.
The most compelling evidence that the People’s Liberation Army has been involved in the attacks springs from a discovery published three weeks ago by the New York Times. One of the most active groups of Chinese infiltrators was traced to a Shanghai neighborhood home to a major cyberunit of the People’s Liberation Army. The Chinese government fervently insists that they are the victims of this activity, rather than its enactors. And until Monday, the United States has avoided mentioning China by name in assaults on American cybersecurity. Calling them out by name should slow or put an end to the attacks on our nation’s corporate and governmental secrets.