US sincerity tested over cyber security

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Observers said Washington has "not demonstrated adequate sincerity" on calls to restart stalled Sino-US working-level talks on cyber security as sensational accusations against China continue to pour in.

The comments came on Thursday as Beijing criticized a US media report that accused China of cyber espionage against Washington.

Washington has hit Beijing in the past few months with a series of accusations, including one from the US Department of Justice in mid-May against five Chinese military personnel regarding their so-called spying on business secrets.

In its Wednesday edition, The New York Times said Chinese hackers had broken into USgovernment networks and stolen top-secret information.

"Some US media and Internet security companies frequently tarnish China's image by fabricating China's so-called cyber threat," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Thursday. US media "are actually not able to produce tangible evidence. Such reports and comments are irresponsible, and there is no need to refute them," Hong said.

The day after Washington made the accusations against the five Chinese officers in May, Beijing announced a halt to the Sino-US working group on cyber work.

The talks, once a component of Sino-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue, convened for the first time in July last year, were taken off the agenda during this round of dialogue, held in Beijing, Reuters reported.

Zuo Xiaodong, vice-president of the China Electronic Information Security Research Institute, said, "What the US has done recently shows it has no intention to correct its mistakes."

Although Washington has appealed for resuming the cyber affairs talks, "positive signals have not been sent", and "it is unlikely to see the talks resume in the near future", said Zuo, a witness of the previous working group talks.

Questions:

1. How many Chinese military personnel did the US accuse of spying?

Answer: 5

2. Who is China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman?

Answer: Hong Lei

3. Where does Zuo Xiaodong work?

Answer: China Electronic Information Security Research Institute

（中国日报网英语点津 Julie 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Lance Crayon is a videographer and editor with China Daily. Since living in Beijing he has worked for China Radio International (CRI) and Global Times. Before moving to China he worked in the film industry in Los Angeles as a talent agent and producer. He has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.