The U.S. and its allies reportedly are going to condemn China’s espionage efforts on Thursday, increasing pressure against Beijing over the accusation that Chinese hackers are violating international law by stealing trade secrets.
According to The Washington Post, Britain, Germany, Japan, Australia, and Canada are expected to join the U.S. in joint condemnation on Thursday.
The Post reports that the leaders of these countries conferred with their cabinets before they agreed to sign onto the effort.
China has targeted all six countries in an espionage campaign over several years, according to the Post. Chinese spies have allegedly hacked cybersecurity and information technology companies in each country.
The countries on Thursday will say that China is violating international norms and laws in order to accrue military and economic power.
On Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is scheduled to announce the criminal charges against hackers with China’s intelligence service, Ministry of State Security (MSS), which allegedly targeted the U.S. and other countries in a long-running cyber spying campaign, the Post reported.
The DOJ is also likely to bring sanctions related to the Chinese hacking effort.
Federal officials have repeatedly accused Chinese hackers of stealing trade secrets, saying those actions are the underlying reason for billions of dollars worth of tariffs on imports from China.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) last month alleged that China continues to conduct economic espionage despite the U.S. trade penalties.
“China shows no sign of ceasing its policy and practice of conducting and supporting cyber-enabled theft and intrusions into the commercial networks of U.S. companies,” USTR wrote in its assessment, arguing that tariffs are needed to counter China’s hacking efforts.
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