Prior to the face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the United States and China, American intelligence agencies made a rare announcement regarding the progress of the investigation into Chinese hackers infiltrating the US telecommunications network. White House officials stated that Biden would warn Xi Jinping that Beijing’s reckless attacks on critical American networks would only lead to a technological decoupling between the two countries.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in a joint statement on Wednesday (November 13) that “the US government is investigating activities of affiliated entities of the People’s Republic of China (Communist China) for unauthorized intrusion into commercial telecommunications infrastructure.”
These two agencies announced the commencement of the investigation into this intrusion incident on October 25. Wednesday marked the first disclosure of the progress of the joint investigation. Prior to this, US media reported that hackers associated with the Chinese Ministry of State Security had breached the mobile phones and text communication data of some important politicians and business figures.
“The US government’s ongoing investigation into the People’s Republic of China’s (Communist China) targeting of commercial telecommunications infrastructure has unearthed a widespread and significant network espionage operation,” the statement said.
These two major agencies detailed the targets of the Chinese hackers’ recent intrusion. “Specifically, we have found that actors associated with the People’s Republic of China (Communist China) have compromised the networks of multiple telecommunications companies, stealing customer call records, disrupting individuals’ private communications—targeting a limited number of individuals involved in government or political activities, and replicating certain information provided by US law enforcement when seeking court orders,” the statement read.
The FBI and CISA stated that as the investigation progresses, they hope to further understand the destructive activities of the Chinese government.
The Chinese government has denied these allegations.
Several US media outlets reported on Wednesday, citing White House officials, that President Biden is set to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Peru on Saturday (the 16th). This will be the third face-to-face meeting between President Biden and the Chinese leader during his term in office, and it will also be the final one.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in an interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday (the 10th) that the Chinese hackers’ intrusion into the US telecommunications network was “a very significant attack.”
He mentioned that every time Biden talks to Xi Jinping, he calls out China’s network espionage activities.
“The FBI, Department of Homeland Security, and the entire national security apparatus are all hands on deck investigating this issue,” he said, “Of course, it will be on the agenda for every US official and every Chinese (Communist) official in the coming weeks.”
A senior government official stated that Biden would warn Xi Jinping that Beijing’s reckless attacks on critical American networks would only lead to further technological decoupling between the US and China.