People’s Daily published an editorial written by an author using the pen name “Zhong Sheng (Voice of China).” The editorial alleged that the U.S. is preparing a plan that will lead to a global cyber war. The article cited reports from the New York Times and the Washington Post, as well as from the upcoming Defense Secretary’s speech at a Congressional hearing, regarding the U.S.’s strategy to prepare for a future war in cyber space. It concluded that “various indications suggest that the United States is moving in the dangerous direction of starting a cyber war.”
The article further commented, “Some countries are speeding up the development of their cyber warfare forces; they seek military superiority in cyberspace and implicitly develop rules for cyber warfare that will lead to a continuing increase in the risk of military conflict in cyberspace, thus causing increasingly evident threats to the security of other countries and to international peace.” “Coincidentally, while the United States is semi-openly revealing its cyber warfare plans, some U.S. media have also begun to spread rumors and hearsay about the so-called ‘China cyber threat’ and are pouring dirty water on China for no reason. … The purpose is to artificially create enemies so as to provide an excuse for the United States to engage in cyber warfare.”
The article warned that “as the United States is in a leading position in information technology, it controls most of the world’s Internet resources and critical infrastructure; (therefore) it has the primary responsibility for peace and security in cyberspace. The United States should clearly recognize that taking the lead to develop cyber warfare capabilities and pursue absolute military superiority will lead to an arms race and military conflict in cyberspace and may bring unpredictable catastrophic consequences to human society.”
Source: People’s Daily, February 7, 2013
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2013/0207/c1011-20457556.html