Multiple US government agencies are preparing to release condemnations of China for its alleged continued attempts to steal American intellectual property and hack government and corporate networks, the Washington Post reports.
The Justice Department is set to indict hackers accused of helping Chinese intelligence services compromise US networks. The Trump administration plans to declassify intelligence related to the alleged incidents, which took place in 2014, and to sanction those accused of carrying out the hacks.
The agencies will also criticize China for violating a 2015 agreement between Washington and Beijing to abolish hacking for commercial gain.
The moves could lead to a further deterioration in relations between the world’s two largest economies as they negotiate a possible deal to end the trade war. However, even if a trade cease fire deal is reached, it seems clear that the US turn against China is far more wide-ranging and is not being driven solely by the Trump team.