Special to WorldTribune.com

Bill Gertz, Washington Free Beacon

China’s government is sharply increasing its investment in cyber warfare programs in what U.S. intelligence officials say is a major attempt to compete with superior U.S. military cyber capabilities.

The new spending priority was described by U.S. officials as a long-term, large-scale reallocation of resources by the Chinese, considered along with Russia to be among the most capable cyber warfare nation states. “There is now data we have that suggests that they have redirected as much as 20 to 30 percent more funding to cyber than they have in previous years,” said a U.S. official familiar with details of the Chinese cyber warfare program. …

According to U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, the major increase in Chinese efforts was set off after the Chinese concluded that their military cyber programs lag behind U.S. strategic cyber warfare efforts in significant ways. …

Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) said that China, through the PLA, has developed one of the most sophisticated cyber capabilities in the world. “They have stolen hundreds of billions of dollars of intellectual property from U.S. businesses and continue to commit this theft,” Pompeo said. “The Chinese have now increased their capacity to conduct massive attacks and continue to consider this weapon as a primary tool in their are arsenal.”

A CIA spokesman declined to comment. Chinese Embassy spokesman Zhu Haiquan declined to directly address China’s increased cyber spending. “China advocates for the peaceful use of cyberspace. Efforts should be made by the international community to prevent militarization of cyberspace and a cyber arms race,” Zhu said. The increase in cyber warfare funding is part of what China’s military calls its “information warfare” program and was outlined in the latest Chinese defense budget unveiled in early March.

SEE COMPLETE TEXT

  Cyber World War: China sharply increases spending on already formidable capability, LIFE, WorldTribune.com