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China calls for International Internet Espionage Rules

China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi issued a call for international “rules and cooperation” on Internet espionage issues, reported the New York Times. He also insisted that accusations of Chinese government involvement in recent hacking attacks on networks in the United States and other western nations were part of an international smear campaign. According to the newspaper, such remarks were China’s highest-level response yet to reports of the Chinese military engaging in cyber espionage. Speaking at the National People’s Congress on March 9, Yang said that accusations that the Chinese government sanctions such cyber attacks were “built on shaky ground.” He said cyberspace should not be turned into a battlefield. Chinese officials have been asserting of late that China is also a victim of cyber attacks—from the United States, according to the March 10 newspaper report.