BEIJING \u2014 A U.S. government report ahead of a meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping accuses China of stepping up hacking aimed at stealing American technology as a tariff dispute escalated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer’s report reflects U.S. skepticism and a possible source of new acrimony ahead of the meeting in Buenos Aires aimed at defusing the dispute companies worry will chill global economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two sides have raised import duties on billions of dollars of each other’s goods in the fight over U.S. complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chinese hacking efforts aimed at stealing American technology and trade secrets have “increased in frequency and sophistication” this year, said Lighthizer’s report, issued Tuesday in Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked about the report, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said U.S.-Chinese trade relations were “mutually beneficial” and it was “natural to have trade frictions.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The key is to engage in dialogue and consultation on the issue based on mutual respect, equality and good faith,” Geng said at a regular briefing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump is pressing Beijing to roll back industry plans its trading partners say violate its market-opening obligations that Chinese leaders see as a path to prosperity and global influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those include “Made in China 2025,” which calls for state-led creation of Chinese champions in robotics and other fields.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
American and Chinese officials have been talking in preparation for the Trump-Xi meeting and news reports say Bejiing has sent written proposals but no details have been released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beijing has tried without success to recruit France, Germany, Japan and other governments as allies against Trump. They dislike his tactics but echo U.S. complaints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The European Union filed a challenge in the World Trade Organization in June to Chinese policies it said improperly limit the ability of foreign companies to control and profit from their technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“China fundamentally has not altered” its technology policy “and indeed appears to have taken further unreasonable actions,” Lighthizer’s report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attacks by possible “Chinese state-sponsored entities” against companies in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and other technologies increased since mid-2017, according to Lighthizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That include a “sharp rise” in hacking against manufacturers in the three months up to September \u2014 “a type of attack that has been frequently tied to Chinese economic espionage,” Lighthizer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China is, along with the United States and Russia, regarded as a leading power in military cyber spying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xi agreed with Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, during a visit to the United States in 2015 to refrain from using military resources to steal commercial secrets. American officials have accused China of reneging on that agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An indictment unsealed last month charges a Chinese intelligence officer with trying to steal technology from U.S. and European aerospace companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lighthizer said China also has pressed ahead with improperly trying to acquire U.S. technology by covertly purchasing companies and other tactics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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