SAN FRANCISCO — China has violated an accord it signed with the U.S. three years ago pledging not to engage in hacking for the purpose of economic espionage, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Thursday.
The 2015 bilateral agreement had significantly reduced the amount of Chinese cybertheft targeting American companies, but Beijing’s commitment to the deal has eroded, said Rob Joyce, senior adviser for cybersecurity strategy at the National Security Agency.
“It is clear they are well beyond the bounds of the agreement today that was forged between our two countries,” Joyce said during a panel conversation at the Aspen Cyber Summit.
Joyce’s comments were the latest sign of Washington’s rising frustration over China’s alleged violation of the pact signed between then-President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Last week, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions also said China wasn’t adhering to the deal, in which the U.S. and China agreed not to conduct cyber operations against each other to steal intellectual property or other forms of economic intelligence.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
Also popular on WSJ.com:
Chevron stayed in Venezuela long after rivals quit. It’s having second thoughts.
Washington gets ready for Matthew Whitaker at Justice Department.
Want news about Asia delivered to your inbox? Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Asia Daily newsletter. Sign up here.
