US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China’s top diplomats on Thursday that Washington will hold accountable those “responsible” for a cyberattack on the US government believed to be of Chinese origin.
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Mr. Blinken, speaking to Wang Yi in Jakarta, “made it clear that any action targeting the US government, businesses and citizens causes us deep concern and that we will take the necessary steps to hold those responsible accountable.” .” said a senior US official on condition that he remain anonymous.
This meeting, held on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting, comes the day after a cyberattack allegedly of Chinese origin specifically targeted the email accounts of several federal agencies and the State Department. according to computer giant Microsoft.
AFP
So far, the State Department has said it has detected “unusual activity” but has refrained from publicly blaming China as an investigation is ongoing.
This new cyberattack comes at a time when the US and China, facing fierce competition, have resumed contacts at the highest level after months of tension.
This is the second meeting between the two men in less than a month, following Antony Blinken’s visit to Beijing last month.
Moreover, despite this diplomatic warming between the world’s two largest economies, the United States has failed to persuade China to restore communications between its two armies.
Mr. Blinken “stressed that we have a responsibility to keep our communication channels open, including between our two militaries,” another US official said.
“I think there is an urgent need to do this. We haven’t managed to do that yet,” he admitted.
China has demanded that the US lift sanctions against its Defense Minister Li Shangfu over the arms purchase from US adversary Russia.
Officials said Mr Blinken has also spoken to China about ways to tackle the chemical precursors to fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that’s fueling a drug addiction epidemic in the United States.
AFP
At the beginning of July, Antony Blinken called on the international community to mobilize in the fight against fentanyl.
Beijing is particularly targeted because, according to experts, chemical compounds necessary for the production of fentanyl continue to be exported from China to Mexico and Central America before reaching the United States.
China banned the export of fentanyl to the US in 2019.
Beijing declined an invitation to attend Friday’s ministerial meeting, angered by US sanctions on Chinese companies.
In fact, the American judiciary recently indicted four Chinese companies and eight of their employees for importing into the United States the components necessary to manufacture fentanyl.
Beyond the US-China issues, the South China Sea should be one of the main topics on the ASEAN menu in Jakarta.
In fact, China lays great claim to this important shipping route for supply chains from Tokyo and Seoul, which also has valuable oil and gas resources.
Western and Asian powers are concerned about Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the region, where it is pressuring the self-governing democratic island of Taiwan and where its ships have been involved in several incidents with planes from other countries.