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Xinhua Suggests Mandiant’s Cyberattacks Report Is Marketing Hype

On February 20, 2013, Xinhua published a commentary in response to the report, released by Virginia-based information Security Company Mandiant Corporation, on the Chinese military’s involvement in a series of cyber attacks on U.S. and foreign corporations and entities. The Xinhua commentary speculated that the purpose of Mandiant Corporation’s report was marketing hype: “Hurry up to buy our company’s security software and services; the more the better.”

Xinhua denied that there was any relationships between the Chinese military (People’s Liberation Army Unit 61398 based in a Shanghai tower) and the cyber attacks on American companies. The commentary asserted that few professional hackers openly use their own IP address to attack others. Further, Xinhua criticized the U.S. military for its previous cyber attack on Iran.

Source: Xinhua, February, 20, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-02/20/c_114741635.htm

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Xinhua Commentary: Hillary’s Departure May Benefit US-China Relations

Xinhua carried an article, originally published in Beijing Evening News, which suggested that Hillary’s departure may help to improve the US-China relationship. The article stated that, during her four year term, Hillary shifted the U.S. focus back to the Asia pacific region and upended the U.S. attitude towards China. As Secretary of State, she had a strong influence on the President’s foreign policy. The article said that Hillary belongs to the group that holds hostile feelings toward China. It also suggested that Kerry, as Hillary’s replacement, may be easier to deal with. The article also speculated that U.S. foreign policy toward China may remain unchanged despite how different Kerry’s personality is.

Source: Xinhua, Feb 1, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2013-02/01/c_124312548.htm?prolongation=1

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International Herald: Why Does the U.S. Keep Harping on the Chinese Hacker Issue?

In an article published in the International Herald, Yuan Peng, a U.S. expert with the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, listed three reasons why the U.S. keeps harping on the “China Hacker Threat”: 1) The U.S. believes that China has the capability of launching cyber attacks. 2) A few news media and commercial companies continue to malign China because they fear that their own trade secrets will be leaked and they also look at China as their enemy. 3) They deliberately dwell on the cyber threat issue in order to pave the way for the expansion of their cyber team and to build a foundation for possible future cyber wars.

As to how China should react, the article had two suggestions: 1) Stop the rumor at the early stage. 2) Strengthen the development of China’s cyber power in order to build a strong defense and management capability.

Source: International Herald, February 22, 2013
http://ihl.cankaoxiaoxi.com/2013/0222/168494.shtml

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Xinhua: What Are the U.S. Military Hackers Doing?

Xinhua military commentator Zheng Wenhao published an article in response to the cyber attack issue raised in the United States. Zheng observed that recent U.S. media reports declared that Chinese hackers, who were associated with China’s military, had made a large number of vicious attacks against U.S. companies and government entities. He countered that it is the U.S. military that has the world’s most vicious and powerful hacker organization. 

The article asked, “Does the U.S. Army have hackers? The answer is clearly yes. At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee in April 2005, even before the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Warfare Command in 2010, the U.S. Strategic Command’s senior generals acknowledged the existence of a hacker organization, the so-called ‘Joint Command of cyber warfare functional unit (JFCCNW).’ This organization may be the world’s most frightening and powerful hacker organization."
“In public, JFCCNW is responsible for guarding the network security of the Defense Department. At the same time, it also carries out highly classified computer network attack missions.” 
“JFCCNW almost never talks about its actions and results. There is no doubt, however, that a lot of ‘black projects’ that involve U.S. military ‘cyber attacks’ are ongoing.” 
“Backed by the country’s near monopoly status on Internet technology, the U.S. military undoubtedly has the world’s most powerful capabilities to launch cyber-attacks. Moreover, the numerous U.S. hacker organizations, such as ‘LulzSec’ and ‘Anonymous,’ provide a steady stream of ‘hacker’ reserves for the U.S. military.” 
“In a year in which the world is increasingly influenced by the Internet, it is just a matter of time before the U.S. armed forces and hackers team up. [Therefore], in the field of Internet security, how we can keep our ‘virtual space defense capabilities’ without being affected by the American media and public opinion is a long-standing struggle.” 
Source: Xinhua, February 20, 2012 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-02/20/c_124369076.htm
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U.S. and Japan shocked: North Korean Nuclear Explosion Brought China Three Major Benefits

People’s Daily held a Powerful Nation Forum discussing North Korea’s recent nuclear test. One post discussed how China is actually a beneficiary of North Korea’s nuclear test. The test helped China in the following three ways: 

1) It reduced the pressure from Japan in the Southwest. Japan is prepared to fight to the end with China in a military arms race on the Diaoyu Islands issue. In this critical situation, China has been pushed into a corner and has no room to maneuver. North Korea’s (nuclear test) provided China such some space to maneuver! However, if Japan continues its willful course, there will still be no solution to the Diaoyu Islands issue for China! 
2) It shifted some of the U.S.’s attention away (from China). Up to today, China has always been in a defensive counterattack position (against the U.S.). In a sense, North Korea’s nuclear explosion has attracted some attention from the U.S. When the United States feels the threat (from North Korea), its first thought is to ask China to counterbalance North Korea. This way, it may give China a little bit of time and space to breath!  
3) The only one in the neighborhood of North Korea without a voice is Russia! Is Russia trying to serve as a balance or is it weighing the pros and cons so as to achieve some sort of strategic purpose? Using the North Korean nuclear issue may also give Russia and China a rare opportunity to jointly deal with their relationship with the United States and its allies! In summary, China is not afraid of war! That North Korea has nuclear weapons may not be a disaster for China! China can fully leverage its power to play a political Taiji and let the United States know what it feels like to have pain! 
Source: Powerful Nation Forum of People’s Daily, February 19, 2013                                         http://bbs1.people.com.cn/post/2/1/2/127016759.html
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People’s Daily: The United States Should Take Primary Responsibility for Stopping a Cyber War

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
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China’s State Media Closely Follow the Cyber-War Strategy of the United States

China’s state-run media Xinhua published a news article on February 6, 2013, about U.S. Defense Secretary Panetta’s speech at Georgetown University. The article particularly focused on Mr. Panetta’s answer to a question regarding cyber attacks. It said that Mr. Panetta issued a warning about the threat of a cyberwar and said cyberspace would inevitably be one of the future battlefields. 

The article reported that Panetta called on Congress to strengthen the Defense Department’s cyberwar capability and warned that the next “Pearl Harbor” might very well happen on the battlefield of cyberspace. 
The article also stated that the “cyber warfare capability is one of the [U.S.] Defense Department ‘s priorities in the area of development. U.S. media have reported that the Defense Department approved an expansion of the manpower in Internet security by five times over the next few years in order to deal with Internet security challenges and launch cyber attacks against foreign targets. At the same time, the U.S. is reviewing the legal procedures and policies involving the application of Internet weapons.” 
Source: Xinhua, February 6, 2013 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-02/07/c_124333555.htm?prolongation=1

http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=5189
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People’s Daily: U.S. Primarily Responsible for Curbing Cyber Warfare

A February 7, 2013, People’s Daily opinion piece opened with the New York Times report about President Obama’s broad power to order a preemptive strike if the United States detects credible evidence of a major digital attack looming from abroad. It also mentioned the Washington Post report about the Pentagon’s approval of a major expansion of the U.S. cybersecurity force over the next several years. The size will increase more than fivefold in order to bolster the nation’s ability to defend critical computer systems and conduct offensive computer operations against foreign adversaries.

The article continued, "Coincidentally, at the same time that the United States revealed its network warfare plans, some U.S. media also began, based upon hearsay evidence, to run rampant speculation about the so-called ‘China network threat theory,’ thus trashing China. It’s not the first time; nor will it be the last time for the real thief to assume innocence by preemptively calling others thieves. The purpose is to artificially create enemies and provide an excuse for the United States to engage in network warfare."

"The United States is in a leading position in the field of information technology. It holds most of the world’s Internet resources and critical infrastructure. It also has primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security in cyberspace. The United States should clearly recognize that taking the lead in developing cyber warfare capabilities and pursuing absolute military superiority will lead to an arms race and military conflict in cyberspace, bringing unpredictable catastrophic consequences to human society."

Source: People’s Daily, February 7, 2013
http://media.people.com.cn/n/2013/0207/c40606-20457814.html

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