China accuses NSA of Winter Games cyberattacks
China alleges that the U.S. National Security Agency launched cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February


What happened
China Tuesday claimed the U.S. National Security Agency carried out "advanced" cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and athletes during the Asian Winter Games in February. Police in Harbin, which hosted the games, accused three Americans allegedly affiliated with the NSA of carrying out the hacks, as well as cyberattacks on Huawei Technologies.
Who said what
China's "detailed allegations" about NSA theft of sensitive data of athletes and essential industries come as Beijing and Washington "spiral deeper into a trade war," Reuters said. The U.S. "routinely accuses" China of cyberattacks on "critical infrastructure and government bodies."
Chinese officials "acknowledged in a secret December meeting" in Geneva that "Beijing was behind a widespread series of alarming cyberattacks" on "U.S. ports, water utilities, airports and other targets," The Wall Street Journal reported last week. The "first-of-its-kind" tacit admission "startled American officials" used to hearing Chinese officials blame the campaign "on a criminal outfit or accuse the U.S. of having an overactive imagination."
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What next?
U.S.-China relations "have sunk to a new low" since the December meeting, the Journal said, and top Trump administration officials say the Pentagon will "pursue more offensive cyber strikes against China" as Beijing continues to "mine its extraordinary access to U.S. telecommunications networks."
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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
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