Between the United States and China, tension does not decrease. Beijing denounced on Sunday a cyber attack orchestrated “by the American NSA” against its National Time Center, a key institution in charge of synchronizing Chinese standard time. According to the Chinese Ministry of State Security, cited by news agencies, evidence reveals that data and identifiers stolen as early as 2022 allowed spying on staff mobile devices and networks, through a bug exploited in an unspecified foreign messaging application.
Chinese authorities say these intrusions also targeted the center’s internal systems, endangering critical infrastructure such as communications, finance or power supply. According to the ministry, these attacks could have disrupted energy networks, transportation and even space launches.
Since then, Beijing claims to have neutralized attack chains, strengthened its protection systems and eliminated potential threats.
Verbal escalation… and digital
“In recent years, the United States has actively tried to impose its hegemony in cyberspace, repeatedly violating international norms,” the ministry denounced in a statement cited by AFP. In addition, he asked citizens to be vigilant against foreign cyberattacks and to report any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities.
The United States did not respond directly to the allegations, but a spokesman for its embassy in Beijing reminded Reuters that China remained “the most active and persistent cyber threat” to American and international networks.
This verbal escalation is part of a recurring dynamic of mutual accusations, in which each country points to the other as mainly responsible for the computer attacks. Tensions now extend beyond cyberspace, with trade frictions growing, particularly around rare earths and tariffs.
A tense geopolitical context
These same tensions reached a new level last week with the “Nexperia affair.” Under Washington’s leadership, Dutch authorities have regained control of the chipmaker Nexperia, owned by the Chinese group Wingtech. An unprecedented decision that illustrates a new stage in the technological war between China and the United States.
Nexperia, a subsidiary of Wingtech Technology, a partially state-controlled Chinese electronics giant, makes entry-level chips for consumer electronics, automobiles and industry. Present especially in Germany and the United Kingdom, the company occupies a strategic position in the supply chain of the Old Continent.
Source: BFM TV
