Chinese officials have admitted to directing cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure during a December meeting with representatives from the Biden administration in Geneva, Switzerland, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. This revelation highlights ongoing tensions between the two nations, particularly related to U.S. support for Taiwan. China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province, has increasingly utilized cyber operations as a form of statecraft.
According to a former U.S. official familiar with the meeting, the Chinese officials’ remarks were described as “indirect and somewhat ambiguous,” yet they carried an implicit acknowledgment of responsibility alongside a warning to the U.S. concerning Taiwan. This development comes amid broader concerns about China-backed gangs infiltrating U.S. telecommunications and potentially compromising critical infrastructures.
In a related context, there has been increasing alarm within the U.S. about the capabilities of suspected Chinese cyber groups. Reports suggest these groups have developed botnets capable of disabling essential services and have jeopardized personal privacy by penetrating major telecom carriers, as indicated in numerous investigative reports.
In other regional tech news, Alibaba Cloud announced expansions outside China, utilizing its Singapore datacenter to roll out advanced AI models and services tailored to the growing market for machine learning and data processing. Concurrently, India launched a $2.7 billion subsidy scheme aimed at boosting local production of critical electronic components, further developing the country’s growing electronics manufacturing sector, which now comprises a significant portion of global Apple iPhone production, as reported by Bloomberg.
The Philippines’ National Telecommunications Commission recently shuttered Now Telecom, citing its failure to establish a network despite having been allocated spectrum. The carrier was struggling financially and lagged behind its main competitor, reinforcing the competitive pressures within the telecommunications sector.