Chinese experts Wednesday slammed US Secretary of State John Kerry's accusation thatChinese and Russian hackers were probably reading his e-mails, saying that US politicianshave been scrambling to hype up thorny issues such as cyber security, human rights andtrade conflicts before Chinese President Xi Jinping's US visit in September.
Speaking on CBS Evening News Tuesday, Kerry said "very likely" in response to a questionfrom anchor Scott Pelley about whether he thought China and Russia were reading his e-mails.
"The answer is it is very likely," Kerry said, according to an AFP report. "Unfortunately,we're living in a world where a number of countries, the Chinese and Russians included,have consistently been engaged in cyber attacks against American interests, against theAmerican government."
Kerry also said that cyber attacks had been a topic of ongoing discussions with China andwould be raised again when US President Barack Obama hosts Xi in Washington nextmonth.
"With no proof, Kerry's accusation is irresponsible and aimed at indicating that theChinese government is responsible for cyber attacks in the US," Shi Yinhong, director ofthe Center for American Studies at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.
Shi added that China has been a victim of cyber attacks and has been pushing back againstsuch attacks.
"The US is always trying to paint itself as a cyber attack victim to cover up their repeatedhacks on other countries," said Li Haidong, a professor with the Institute of InternationalRelations at China Foreign Affairs University.
The US media recently reported that Chinese hackers have allegedly been snooping on thepersonal e-mail accounts of top US officials since 2010. In one of the latest attacks, themedia reported in June that the personal data of 4 million federal employees was stolen.
Shi believes that Washington is using these high-profile issues to put pressure on Chinabefore Xi's visit.
Eleven US business groups are lobbying Obama to press Xi on technology protectionismconcerns during Xi's US visit, Reuters reported Wednesday. The lobbying specified China's"approach to defining its national security interests" as a key concern, citing a range ofnew and proposed laws that the US groups said call into question China's commitments toopen markets.
Moreover, 10 US senators on Tuesday urged Obama to make human rights "a key andpublic component" of his talks with Xi.
"Some US politicians want to highlight sensitive issues between the US and China beforeXi's visit. They hope to create an intense atmosphere and make the meeting less fruitful,which may benefit them in the upcoming US president election in 2016," Li said.
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