Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned an international security conference today that the US “will not look the other way” when nations such as China try to restrict navigation or ignore international rules and standards.
China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea are destabilising the region, and its failure to resolve disputes with other nations threatens East Asia’s long-term progress, Hagel said.For the second year in a row, Hagel used the podium at the Shangri-la conference to call out China for cyberspying against the US While this has been a persistent complaint by the US, his remark came
less than two weeks after the US charged five Chinese military officers with hacking into American companies to steal trade secrets.The Chinese, in response, suspended participation in a US-China Cyber Working Group, and released a report that said the US is conducting unscrupulous cyber espionage and that China is a major target.
Noting the suspension, Hagel in his speech said the US will continue to raise cyber issues with the Chinese, “because dialogue is essential for reducing the risk of miscalculation and escalation in cyberspace.”
In a string of remarks aimed directly at China, Hagel said the US opposes any nation’s use of intimidation or threat of force to assert territorial claims.